I was inspired by seeing the Events page on the My-Child page and thought I would write a quick blog about a couple of the activities I take my almost 2 year old daughter to. We live in Christchurch but I am sure there are similar activities in your local area.
I work part time (2 days a week) so my 3 weekdays I get to spend with my daughter I want to make sure I spend as much quality time with her as possible while giving her some great experiences at the same time. The things I consider when looking for activities are: age appropriateness, cost, location, time of day/length of activity and flexibility of the activity (e.g. do I have to sign up for the whole term).
One of my new favourite things I take Jade to is called “Tumbletimes”. This is run by the council and the one I take her to is at Pioneer Stadium (on Lyttelton St, Spreydon). It is a gymnastics style session that runs for 1 hour aimed at preschoolers, but babies can attend. The thing I love about it is its on every weekday at 10.30am and also a second session at 9.15am on a Monday and you don’t have to sign up for the term so you can just go along when it suits.
In the first half hour several pieces of equipment (e.g. mats, tunnels, beams, balls, small bikes, bars) are set up and children are free to explore these as they wish. I use this time to encourage Jade to have a go at new things as well as repeating the activities that she knows and loves. It is also a great time to remind her of social skills like turn taking and sharing.
In the second part the instructor runs some activities which include running races (with no focus on winning- just having a go) and then playing with the parachute. Jade LOVES this part which I was really suprised about as it can be quite noisy and also she is a lot smaller than some of the other kids but she really can’t wait to join in. The session finishes with the children getting a stamp which I find a great way to let them know it is finished.
An unexpected bonus of going to this as it has encouraged Jade’s language. Jade is great at communicating but doesn’t actually say heaps of words but something about tumbletimes has seemed to encourage this! Even just today she was saying “oh race, race” and naming several things around the room and also loves to tell her Daddy what she did at Tumbletimes that day when he gets home from work.
Other things I like about it is: It only costs $3.50 which I think is reasonable and you just need to show up about 10 minutes before to pay and make sure you have a spot and also parents are welcome to take more than one child and the activities set out are for various ages so suits both a baby and preschooler- keeping everyone happy.
The only slight negative I would say is that there is only 1 instructor and as there is usually around 25 children at the sessions they are not able to help everyone and sometimes it would be nice to have a bit of extra support on some equipment to make sure you are doing it right, but most of the time this isn’t an issue.
Here is the website if you would like more info:
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/cityleisure/recreationsport/notices/index.aspx#jumplink12
The other activity I take Jade to is Music and Movement at Spreydon Baptist Church. This runs on a Wednesday at either 9.30am or 10.15am. I have been taking Jade to this from when she was about 6 months old and she has always loved it. I love watching her respond to the music! The session consists of singing songs (with actions), having a turn with musical instruments, singing songs with a parachute and a song for relaxation at the end which I think is really important to end the session on.
The cost for this is $3 per session and as with Tumbletimes there is no obligation to sign up for the term, giving you the flexibility of only going when it suits. The cost also includes morning tea for the children (which is always amazing- sandwiches, biscuit, crackers, fruit and water) and tea and coffee available for the adults. Parents are also welcome to bring more than one child and the ages of the children that go would be from about 6 months- school aged.
Here is the website for more info:
http://www.spreydon.org.nz/youthandfamily/children/mid_week_programmes
If you are not near Spreydon, or live in CHristchurch, try googling ‘Music Programmes or mainly music or music and movement’ in your area as there are several music groups around.
The other bonus of both Tumbletimes and Music and Movement is both have cafes in the complex they are run in so it can be a whole morning out 
I always love hearing about new activities or events that are coming up so I will be keeping an eye on the Events page. Please share whats going on in your area- so cool to know whats happening for our kids in NZ!
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