Getting out of the house with your little ones is terrific for both of you. You’ll enjoy social interaction, and you may even learn something new together. So get out there and do some awesome stuff with your child at these five mommy and me style classes near Peoria, Arizona. We think they’re perfect for families with preschoolers.

Hubbard Family Swim School

Image via Flickr by @wewon31 Licensed CC BY-ND 2.0

Like most instructors, the Hubbard Family Swim School on North 32nd Street designed their parent and me classes for preschool-aged kids and younger. It offers a four-series swim program for infants ages two to 35 months, starting with Baby Splash. For a one-time $35 membership fee, your infant 2 to 5 months old will splash, play, and learn. You’ll pick up essential safety skills while acclimating your baby to the water.

The Little Snapper 1 and Little Snapper 2 courses continue to build on your child’s foundations by adding skills like back floats, rollover breathing, and swimming underwater. Once your 18 to 35-month-old kids can enter the pool from the wall or steps and hold their breath for 3 seconds, they’ll move up to the Little Snapper Advanced class. You’ll love how fun and rewarding it feels just being in the water with your little one.

Arizona Sunrays

Expose your child to positive experiences while you connect with like-minded parents at Arizona Sunrays. This studio provides high-quality gymnastics and dance classes for infants as young as 6 months. Baby gym is a free 30-minute mommy and me class on tumble mats. Teachers focus on exploratory play to help your baby develop gross and fine motor skills.

Directors designed the Twistin’ Tots program for children ages 16 months to 3 years. With your help, your little gymnast will learn the value of planned movement like being upside down, rolling, and jumping. The center’s friendly instructors guide kids through creative circuits that boost locomotor skills while practicing sharing and waiting turns. Together, you’ll play with bubbles and dance under a parachute along the way. Arizona Sunrays has two Valley locations: North 32nd Street and East Indian School Road.

Musicology

The staff at Musicology “orchestrate music for young minds” with online and on-site classes. This innovative team designed its fun and engaging programs specifically for newborns through age 4. Studies show that music can help prime your baby’s brain for learning, particularly in the areas like language and reading. These unexpected perks make these classes ideal when you want to give your kids a leg up on kindergarten.

At Musicology, the staff arranges your children into small specific developmental groups. Then they encourage kids to explore musical instruments, creative movement, dance, and song. They’ll discover beats and rhythms spanning different eras from all over the world. Find your closest Musicology location in Arcadia, Scottsdale, or Chandler. Its mommy and me classes promote language, rhythm, fine motor skills, self-esteem, and creativity. Its kid’s courses include:

  • Infant Rhythms (newborn through 5 months).
  • Baby Beats (6 months to 13 months).
  • Mini Mozarts (14 months to 27 months).
  • Beethovens (27 months to 3 1/2 years).
  • KiddyKeys (3 to 4 years old).

The Peoria Public Library System

Your local Peoria library is home to an endless list of cool things to see and do, including excellent classes for you and your kids. It’s a great educational destination with courses like Yummy Discovery! This cooking tutorial hosted by the Peoria Main Library is for children ages 1 to 4. With mom or dad’s help, they’ll discover creative ways to experience new foods while having a blast.

Storytimes are also a terrific way to bond with your kids. Both the Main and Sunrise Mountain branches offer numerous opportunities to hear a delightful age-appropriate tale while snuggling on a parent’s lap. Check out the 20-minute Toddler Time program on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. or Baby Time on Wednesday at the same time. The whole family can join the fun on Thursdays for Family Time. Siblings 3 to 5 years old can let their imagination run wild with books, songs, poems, and activities.

Next time your little one bounces off the walls, head to your library. Yes, that’s right. But don’t worry about the librarian shushing your family. Peoria’s library system offers Toddler Time. Miss Mary fills this action-packed activity with stories, music, and finger puppet plays for 18-month to 3-year-old children.

City of Peoria

Peoria’s recreation department offers families a long list of programs, from aquatics programs and youth sports to summer day camps. With multiple locations, including the Rio Vista Recreation Center and Peoria Community Center, the city is able to serve our community with a wide variety of special interest classes for kids and adults.

Preschool programs include Messy Art for 2 to 4-year-olds every Tuesday, as well as Parent and Me ice skating on Wednesday evenings and midday on Saturdays for kids 3 to 6. Parents and kids participate together in the ABCs and 123s class, learning skills like counting, the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and sorting. Consider signing your toddlers up for the Tiny Dragons “I Won’t Go” Abduction Prevention course or one of the Steppin’ Out dance classes, including ballet, tap, and tumble.

Of course, Parks and Rec are well known around the community for its youth sports programs, and the city didn’t leave out our youngest residents. Even toddlers as young as 2 can participate alongside mom and dad while learning the fundamentals of soccer, baseball, basketball, and track and field. There’s even an indoor skills program every Saturday that gets the kids on the field and out of Arizona’s scorching heat.

So, there you have it. Crème de la Crème of Peoria just informed you of the best six mommy and me classes you and your preschooler can attend together. Did you like our ideas? Did we miss a favorite program of yours — one Lake Pleasant area parents would love? If we did, let us know! Drop us a line so we can add your recommendations to our guide.