First Playgroup Experience

It was in the Little Gym in Dubai when D. was 13 months.

I have been thinking about taking D. to a group class for a while.

Parents around us who have been taking their kids can't stop talking about the benefits to their little ones. I also believe in starting group classes young. However, this whole prematurity journey plus Covid-19 put a hold to this plan and I decided to wait until D. turns one.

I was recommended Little Gym in Cityland Mall, Dubai by our lovely neighbors who have been taking their kids for years. I decided to give it a shot.

Their first class is complimentary. You go, try, see if you like it. If yes, great. If not, you can give a shot to programs offered by other companies.

Class lasted for one hour. There were many newcomers along with the existing babies. In total we were around 10 babies + 10 parents. Parents in this class (10-18 months) stay with their babies the whole time. You are like your baby’s partner in class.

Overall, it was an interesting experience with too much stimulation both for D. and me:) The host of the class was very kind, good with babies. Gym itself is spacious and full of equipment that are suitable for babies.

My first impression though it was very hectic. The class was not very structured. I felt like activities were kind of put in a row and we were hassling from one to the other. It was almost like we were given some free time in a kids’ gym. On the other hand, it is difficult to put a structure to a class with ten 1 year old kids.

All activities were designed to stimulate your child’s brain and body. There were activities with music, sign language, gymnastic equipment. Activities in general targeted physical strengthening and coordination, encouraged motor skill development and communication among babies. I think I also expected an activity that lets the babies get messy with their hands and trigger their touching sense yet it wasn't included in the class.

How did my little one behave? She was not very happy initially. She did not want to let go of me and was not very interested in the activities that were done as a whole group. However, after 10-15 minutes she started to slowly get away from me to explore the gymnastic equipment. She would still come back quickly and find me, but you could see the progress throughout the 60 minutes. You could also see the difference between newcomers and babies who have been coming in the past 5-6 months.

How did it go for me? I had to rush between sleep and feed schedule as it would be her nap time right after class. I do not feel comfortable when we go out of our sleep-feed routine. But I felt this was something that D. would benefit a great deal. I have to admit though I felt super exhausted post class with all the noise and rush going on. So next time, it will be my husband’s turn:)

This is my one and only experience with a play group. I will try others and see if this is something similar across. Until then, we will stick to Little Gym as it is convenient for us and seems to be working great for the kids who go regularly.

p.s. Songs are catchy. very catchy indeed that it will play in your head for the rest of the day:)

Time to put the bells away, bells away, bells away

Time to put the bells away in the Little Gym:)

Cheers!