October 2021 – GYMBO BUZZ – Explore our world and share yours.

5 Reasons to Enroll In Gymboree Play & Music in 2021!

With more than 45 years of experience, Gymboree Play and Music classes are uniquely and intentionally designed for early childhood development. Through play, your child will be challenged physically, socially and cognitively, building the crucial skills to support a lifetime of learning.

But beyond these benefits, there is more than meets the eye about our brand, and if you’re in the market for a program for your child that checks all of the boxes, you’ll want to see the top 5 reasons to enroll at Gymboree Play & Music today!

We Have Options to Enroll In Virtual or In-Person

Did you know that in addition to our in-person, COVID 19 safe classes, we are now offering online play and learning classes for babies, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. Both class types provide a comprehensive learning option in your local community or in your home. And with flexile class times, you can find a class that fits your schedule.

In Person Details

Virtual Class Details

We’re Still Offering Birthday Parties

Choose your child’s favorite theme and we’ll create a private, personalized party experience filled with kid friendly activities guaranteed to be 100% fun with zero clean up! We specialize in 1st birthday parties all the way through to 5th birthday parties. Gymboree Play & Music Parties are available to members and non-members alike. Themes and party packages may vary by location.

Have Your Next Party With Us

We Have Affordable, Easy to Participate In, Music Classes

Experience music from all around the world– music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 1, children will delight in the sound of instruments, and “singing” through musical baby talk. They’ll enjoy being sung to, experiencing new sounds and the anticipation of surprise!

Some of the benefits are:

Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your baby’s overall development.

Cognitive: Music-play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.

Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.

Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both of you feel more connected.

Learn More About Our Music Classes

We Offer Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness Classes

We have a myriad of classes for children ages 3-5.

Our Preschool Prep with HOMER offers highly engaging themes that create a captivating setting for children to be motivated and engaged as they explore movement and gain early learning skills in preparation for preschool, Kindergarten and life!

Your early learner will work on building curiosity, expanding vocabulary, and making meaningful connections as they get “Preschool Ready” with these important life skills.

We’ve created an engaging in-person setting for children to be motivated and engaged as they explore math, SEL, and literacy. Children will learn while enjoying captivating themes that include — All About Me and Farms & Food.

Our small classroom setting will help children develop life-readiness skills like communication and collaboration apart from parents and guardians.

Children will learn to share, follow directions, and take turns. They will also be participating in simple back-and-forth conversational exchanges with both teachers and other children.

Our Locations Are Managed By Franchise Owners Who Care About Early Childhood Development

For over 40 years, our brand has been sparking a love of learning with millions of families around the world, with research-based play programs designed by experts. Whether it’s our home office team or our franchise community, the GPM brand has proven expertise in early childhood education and franchise management.

Our custom curriculum is uniquely created around the 3 keys to early childhood learning (Social/Emotional, Cognitive and Physical). Children are our future and ages 0-5 are the foundational years upon which their later successes—both personal and professional, will be built. Our community believes learning through play is the method that touches each child in a way that helps them learn best. Gymboree Play & Music delivers a joyful experience and enhances learning, while setting the stage for a future filled with possibilities.

Learn About Our Franchises

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Have You Checked Out Our Official Gymboree Play & Music Spotify Playlists?

It goes without saying, at Gymboree Play & Music, we LOVE music! This month our corporate theme is Music to My Ears and we’re taking a deep dive into the importance of sound and melodies in early childhood development. A couple of weeks back, we published a post that had all kinds of studies about the benefits of music for children, if you missed it you can read more here. But we wanted to take it a step further. Our brand has been around for more than 45 years, and in that time we’ve been asked by parents all over the world about our own philosophy on music, and how and why we pick the songs for classes. For the most part, our Music-osophy has been under wraps, but now – we’re ready to let it out.

Listening is just one of the many ways we experience music and adds an extra layer of sensory development to our little ones’ play experience. But how do we decide what songs to add to our playlists at Gymboree Play & Music?

Studies show that listening to varying genres of music engages larger areas of the brain, helping to create new neural pathways for both cognitive and emotional development. With this in mind, we have created several specially curated playlists that feature many different genres and styles of music. Some songs are specifically catered to children, while others are written for all ages.

Children are exposed to varying rhythms, time signatures, melodies, harmonies, instruments, and even languages. Now, you can also access these playlists at home via our official Gymboree Play & Music Spotify page to listen at home with your little ones!

Our Gymbo Corp Spotify page features two types of playlists: Musical Genre-Based playlists and Theme-Based playlists. Among our Musical Genre-Based playlists, you can enjoy all the various musical genres and regional styles explored in our Music Classes.

Did you hear a recorded song in your music class that you can’t wait to listen to again? You can likely find it on the corresponding playlist.

Our Theme-Based playlists house a series of songs that are specific to a certain theme, such as Living Creatures, The Ocean/Beach, and Transportation.

Several of these themes also match up with the themes in our Play & Learn classes, so you can bring a bit of your class experience home with you!

At Home Activities, Holiday Fun!

7 Halloween Trends Every Parent Should Know in 2021

With the holiday season in full swing, parents everywhere are checking the trends to see what to expect this Halloween season. Lucky for you, we took the time to scour the internet and pull of the information parents are talking about the most right now.

Based on our research, here are 7 key trends each parent should know about in 2021.

1. The Importance of Blue Buckets

You might not have noticed, but in recent years, the blue Halloween bucket has become an unofficial signifier for kids with autism and autism awareness. For the most part, we’re all fairly used to the normal Halloween night practices when it comes to trick or treating. Kids typically ring the doorbell, say “trick or treat” and swiftly receive candy. The buckets are meant to inform the homeowner that the child with autism may be nonverbal, and the candy should be offered without requiring the child to speak.

You can purchase them at major retailers like Target and Walmart.

2. COVID-Friendly Alternatives to Trick or Treating

Although Trick or Treating will always be the cornerstone to Halloween, with COVID restrictions still in place in several states, some families are still opting for safe alternatives. Things like haunted hayrides and pumpkin patches, which allow people to physically distance themselves, are a popular choice this year. And for those who would prefer to stay inside, some families have been holding holiday parties with close friends and loved ones.

3. Pajamas Are The Craze

Holiday pajamas have always been a special treat around this time of year, but for families who don’t want to splurge on costumes, they are exceptionally popular. We spotted some fun options over at Hanna Andersson.

4. Costumes That Reflect All The Best Things About School

Remember when it was trendy to get an astronaut costume, or even a dinosaur? Well, this year parents are opting for costumes that are a true reflection of the sign of the times. After a year without school, some parents are looking for costumes that capture all of the best things about the classroom. So expect to see more kids in school themed costumes like this cute Lunchable from Oriental Trading Co..

5. Squishmallows Are The Craze

Squishmallows are all the craze and in case you haven’t yet heard of them, they are these cute, squishable, plush toys that come in a variety of characters. While you shouldn’t expect to get them in your Halloween basket, they are a nice gift to get for your tot ahead of the holiday season. They are the perfect pal for the stroller, and they are cute to snuggle with. If you want to get your hands on one you might want to shop now as supply chain issues may contribute to their scarcity, come mid-November.

See the coolest options at ET.

5. Candy Inspired Pumpkins

Decoupage pumpkins are a beautiful addition to any home this time of year, but these candy inspired options are all anyone is talking about. The way to get this look is to print some nice candy wrappers, then cut papers into strips, then use Mod Page to decorate your pumpkins. And boom! Now you have candy inspired decoupage pumpkins.

6. Halloween Themed Family Fun Nights

Pumpkin patches, and Halloween mazes will always be a mainstay of the season, but one thing many parents are adding to their to-do list are Halloween Family Fun nights. You can plan a night to carve pumpkins, you can make cookies or you can recreate popular games like Twister – but with a spooky twist. Get instructions on this adorable DIY mat at Pint-sized Treasures.

7. Celebrating During the Day, Instead of Night

It’s been a longstanding tradition to allow the excitement of Halloween to build throughout the day and climax in the evening whilst trick or treating and visiting different neighborhoods. But with varying COVID restrictions, traffic and extended wait times at restaurants some parents are opting out of the late night candy meltdowns. By celebrating early in the day, the kids get the entire afternoon to get the sugar in and out, allowing parents to contain the excitement to daylight hours, while still adhering to the established bedtime routine.

We spotted these fun breakfast ideas over here at Cool Mom Eats.

Tips, Tips For Moms, Uncategorized

Build a Solid Musical Foundation with Gymboree Play & Music

We all know gentle sounds and lullabies are a way to soothe babies and create bonds. But beyond bonding, music serves a higher purpose in the early development of babies and children.

Music Classes Help Your Child Build a Solid Developmental Foundation

A 2017 study on Music Interventions and Child Development revealed that the impact of music has indicated positive effects on a variety of skills. Their findings suggest musical interventions may the potential to support educational processes and development of children. Based on our findings there are at least three distinct ways music can support your child’s growth.

Language Development : Research shows children in transition from kindergarten to school develop fundamental skills important for the acquisition of reading and writing. Previous research pointed toward substantial correlations between specific language- and music-related competencies as well as positive transfer effects from music on pre-literacy skills.

Strengthened hand-eye coordination : Whether its playing the violin, strumming the strings of a guitar or shaking a maraca, musical instruments are known to enhance dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

The opportunity to develop motor skills is higher in young children and in our classes children interact with different instruments which are beneficial in developing these skills.

Improved Mental processing : One of the lesser discussed benefits of music exposure to younger children is its ability to process events. In 2020 Neurologists found that have found that Musically trained children perform better at attention and memory recall and have greater activation in brain regions related to attention control and auditory encoding, executive functions known to be associated with improved reading, higher resilience, greater creativity, and a better quality of life.

Although these are just a few benefits, we know our classes can have a life-long impact on your child’s development. Learn more about our class offerings below and how they can help your child.

For Children Ages 6 months to 16 Months

Our Music I class is for children that are learning through listening and watching, moving, and “singing” with coos and babbles.

What to expect in class: Experience music from all around the world– music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 1, children will delight in the sound of instruments, and “singing” through musical baby talk. They’ll enjoy being sung to, experiencing new sounds and the anticipation of surprise!

Benefits:

Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your baby’s overall development.

Cognitive: Music-play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.

Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.

Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both of you feel more connected.

For Children Ages 16-28 Months

Our Music II class is for children that are ready to learn through a progression from receptive to expressive musical behavior.

What to expect in class: Experience music from all around the world-music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 2, children will begin to experiment with ways to play musical instruments, accompany a song with rhythm, and act out lyrics through movements using both gross motor and fine motor skills. Children know so much about music at this stage, and are at the beginning stages of being able to express themselves musically!

Benefits:
Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your child’s overall development.
Cognitive: Music play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.
Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.
Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both you feel more connected.

For All Ages

Our Family Music class is for children of all ages, at every stage who want to learn about music!

What to expect in class: Engage your little one in a multi-age music class which provides opportunities not only to learn musical techniques, styles, and about different instruments, but also supports social and emotional development.Benefits:

Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your child’s overall development.

Cognitive: Music play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.

Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.

Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both you feel more connected.