Gymboree Play & Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children up to age 5 for over 30 years. Today, there are some 700 Gymboree locations in 43 countries, making us the global leader in early childhood development programs. Designed by experts, our age-appropriate activities help develop the cognitive, physical, and social skills of children as they play. Our programs are also recognized for their unique approach to parent involvement – which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development.

We provide an environment where children are free to move, play, and explore safely. Our proprietary equipment was designed by Jay Beckwith, a nationally respected playground designer with more than 30 years of experience, who created every structure with the needs of children in mind. Our play environments are designed to deliver the high-quality standard parents expect for their children.

We also open for franchise business expansion! Right now, we already have two franchised locations: one in Gurney Plaza Mall in Penang and another one in IOI Mall Putrajaya. We want Gymboree to expand, ultimately making it possible for kids in every state to experience Gymboree.

Play classes are focused more on upper and lower body strength, balance when standing, walking, left and right coordination, and much more. Our age-appropriate play activities are conducted according to the lesson plan, which changes every two weeks. And what’s more, it’s not just the lesson plan; the play area itself changes, so the kids will not be experiencing the same thing over and over again, keeping the activities fresh and stimulating, ensuring the kids’ imaginations are continually inspired.

As the kids get older, they’ll progressively develop different skills and levels. First, physical skills are developed such as standing, crawling, rolling, and so forth. As eye contact and cognitive skills improve, more advanced skills can be developed. They’ll learn spatial vocabulary and concepts such as up and down, fast and slow, over and under, and the list goes on. The benefit for a kid is profound as studies suggest the lessons and activities of the first five years of a person’s life can be very important to continued physical and cognitive development.

In Gymboree, we encourage parent-child bonding through activity, and at the earliest stages, it’s compulsory for the parent to be with their child in the class, whether it’s a play class, an art class, or a music class. Once the child turns three, he or she is entered in a special program called the “School Readiness Program.” The program caters to children from three to five years old. At this level, there are no parents present in class. This is to help reinforce with children how to be independent in school. Apart from the play activities that are held, this program is set up more or less like a school session, where kids have a snack time, learn the alphabet and how to use letters, and increasingly learn to socialize without parents. The most important elements at this level are building the children’s confidence and teaching them a degree of independence.

Music classes are held to work with children’s left brain development. In these classes, we introduce to them more than 18 genres of music, as well as musical instruments from all over the world. Along with helping kids keep a steady beat, music classes work to help them develop problem-solving skills, better attention spans, and focus. These areas are very important to develop for success in later academic pursuits. Far from being a meaningless extracurricular activity, music classes can be among the most important components to develop your child’s abilities and prepare them for their educational future.

Arts classes, of course, are where kids’ creativity and personalities really shine. There will be painting, pasting, creative activities using recycled items, collagemaking, and more. There is also a story time. Why do arts show a child’s personality and creativity? This is where children can freely express what’s in their minds, show what they’re thinking, and give form to feeling. Besides that, parents can use this time to paint with their kid and create something together to remember. The 45 minutes that a parent spends with their child is actually an investment that can pay huge dividends in the future. Most Gymboree parents are working parents, so what we ask them to do is take their kids to Gymboree on weekends, let the nanny rest, be the kids’ friend for a little while, play with them, see their development, and strengthen the bond. You’ll be surprised how special your child is and how just how valuable the time spent together can truly be.

Website: www.gymboreeclasses.com.my