Author: gymbobuzz

You want to find a program to attend with your little one this fall. But how do you choose? Here are a few things to look for:

• A program that has a great reputation and longevity
• A variety of classes to choose from, to expose your child to new experiences and keep both of you engaged and having fun
• The right amount of challenge for your child to inspire, but not discourage them
• Equipment and structures specifically designed to be developmentally appropriate for young children

Gymboree Play & Music has been the global leader in early childhood education for over 45 years, with research-based programs that grow with your child from birth to kindergarten.

Kind of makes it an easy decision, doesn’t it? Find a location near you today.

As with many of our franchisees, Liz Edwards discovered the program as a young mom. Her family had recently moved to Walnut Creek, CA, and she joined with her 10 month old son.

The family relocated to Southern California, and Liz was sad to discover that there was no Gymboree Play & Music location near her new home. One day, while watching Good Morning America, she was surprised to realize that it was a franchise, as she had assumed it was a local program. She immediately reached out to investigate available areas in So Cal, and purchased two territories.

Liz and her mom worked together for 20 years. She now has a wonderful business partner, Heather, and her daughter Morgan is the Manager. She has watched the brand grow and evolve for almost 40 years, but her passion for the business remains just as strong as when she first started.

Liz says “I love how it’s been in the family and am appreciative of my partner and our staff. Our business survived Covid due to the love and loyalty of our customers. Thank you to all our Gymboree families, you truly bring us joy every day! What a great job we have!!”

Gymboree Play & Music has been supporting the physical, cognitive and social-emotional development of young children for over 45 years. Find a location near you today!

Back in 2016, we were looking for a way to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We created an event, held at all of our North American locations on the same day, and called it “National Day of Play”. Thousands of families across the United States and Canada visited, and experienced the magic of Gymboree Play & Music first-hand.

We had to suspend our festivities for a few years due to the pandemic, but were able to bring it back last year. And now, for the sixth time, we are excited to host families of little ones as we open our doors to the community and celebrate childhood on Saturday, August 19th!

You and your little ones (ages birth to five) can:

• Embark on.a playscape adventure
• Hop a parachute flight
• Swim in a sea of bubbles
• Invite your friends, or make new ones!

Contact a Gymboree Play & Music location near you to get more information on the event of the summer!

* Schedules and event details vary by location.

Summer can be filled with fun outings and family adventures. But a relaxing day at the beach, a lake or on a camping trip isn’t quite as “chill” when you have a baby in tow.

Suddenly, in addition to the regular “stuff” you’d need, there are pack-n-plays, a gazillion diapers, extra blankets and baby-safe toys to consider. Not to mention the stress of keeping your baby from putting foreign objects they find on the ground in their mouths, or crawling off into the hot sand or dirt.

Gymboree Play & Music provides a cool place for you and your baby to hang out in the summer, making new friends and supporting their development in a fun, welcoming space.

Parenting a young child can be full of amazing and magical moments.

But, unless you are lucky enough to have a group of friends or close family who are in the same point in their parenting journey and lives, it can also feel isolating and lonely.

For over 45 years, we’ve been creating a fun, welcoming space where parents can gather not only to support their child’s physical, cognitive and social-emotional development, but where they can connect and build friendships that can last a lifetime.

If you’re lucky enough to already have friends at the same place in their life, bring them along! We can all use more members in our “tribe”.

“Music is life. That’s why our hearts have beats.”

Cecily Morgan

From the youngest age, children are inspired by music. A baby will turn their head in the direction of the sound. Young toddlers will wiggle, bounce and shimmy along to the beat. And preschoolers will move with defined purpose, even following simple choreography!

The importance of music in early education is clearly documented:

• Music supports sensory development: exposing your child to different types of music can help create more pathways between the cells in their brains.
• Music can improve literacy and numeracy: from an early age, babies can hear the difference between different types of sounds. Exposure to music enhances a child’s natural ability to decode sounds and words, and helps them anticipate what is coming next in a song and how to put these sounds in a sequence.
• Music helps build coordination: music encourages your child to move, developing their fine and gross motor skills.
• Music helps develop vocabulary: even if your child doesn’t understand the words to a song at first, they develop their understanding by identifying the storytelling within it.
• Music supports social-emotional development: nothing sparks more joy that a group of little ones all moving to the beat together!

That’s why music is an important part of all of our classes. Find a location near you.

Erica Lincoln was a stay-at-home mom, taking her young daughter to classes at Gymboree Play & Music, when she decided to start teaching art classes there on Saturdays.

Eight years later, when she was considering leaving Gymboree to open her own business in the restaurant industry, she was approached by the owner about purchasing the location instead. She immediately said “yes”!

“I think we have the best jobs ever! I could probably write a book with the silly comments and stories our School Skills kids tell me. I also love teaching the babies classes. Watching them grow from infants to toddlers to preschoolers is the most rewarding experience I can think of.”

At Gymboree Play & Music, the programs grow with your child – from birth to kindergarten – supporting their physical, cognitive and social-emotional development.

Children of every culture use play to communicate, create and express their thoughts and feelings.

Entering your child’s world and “speaking their language” is what makes learning-through-play so powerful.

Play-based learning has been the foundation of Gymboree Play & Music‘s programs for over 45 years, supporting the physical, cognitive and social-emotional development of children from birth to kindergarten. Children are given the physical and emotional space to explore and learn at their own pace, with a variety of programs that grow with your child.

There comes a time in every little one’s life when they have to transition from having their grownup by their side to facing the world on their own. Some move on with a smile on their face, never looking back. Others have a hard time, with lots of tears. Meanwhile, the grownup is dealing with all of the emotion around their “baby” no longer being one.

We understand how difficult that transition can sometimes be. That’s why our programs grow with your child – from adult/child for our younger ones, to classes that include a parent-separation time, to our fully-independent School Skills preschool program – supporting their development from birth to kindergarten.

Our programs help foster the self-reliance your little one needs to brave their new world of independent learning with minimal tears and lots of smiles.

Find a Gymboree Play & Music location near you.

Pooja Gupta was working in a high-stress job in Manhattan, when the market crash of 2008 gave her a chance to re-evaluate her career. She started taking her niece to her classes at Gymboree Play & Music, and realized that this was a business that she could feel passionate about.

She recognized that there was a huge need for quality programs for young children in her area, and started researching possible locations. She debated the pros and cons between various types of real estate options, and decided to start out in an older building in a third floor space. It allowed her to learn and make mistakes because she had kept her overhead relatively low. She gambled that the quality of her programming would offset any inconvenience for the families, and she was right – her business thrived.

After a decade of success, she started wondering if she should shut down her profitable space and move to a “better” location with higher rent. Another national crisis – the pandemic shutdown – forced her hand and gave her the opportunity to find a new space.

If you’ve noticed a few gambling terms sprinkled in here, it’s because Pooja is an amateur poker player, even playing in two national tournaments in Las Vegas! She’s also on the professional board for a non-profit that supports families dealing with homelessness.

Pooja loves teaching and “developing little humans”. She says that teaching helps her keep the spark, saying “It reminds me why I’m a Gymboree Play & Music franchisee and what I’m doing for my community”.