File photo.
Kids—sometimes you have to get them out of the house. Luckily, Charlottesville also offers a range of children’s activities, from drop-ins to weekly classes, that get everyone from infants to adults moving.
A change from screens
Bounce Play-n-Create is owned by a Charlottesville mom of four who revitalized the place during COVID to offer both physical and creative outlets. Play areas are set aside for kids age 3 and younger, and for children up to age 13. Older kids are welcome to the arts and crafts section, but not on the equipment. Or head to Get Air Trampoline Park (formerly Jump Charlottesville), where you’ll find wall-to-wall trampolines, foam pits, dodgeball, slamball, and ninja obstacles. Areas are scaled for kids under or over 46 inches, and there are special Toddler Times, when one parent jumps free, as well as a monthly time just for jumpers with special needs.
Inspired by Simone
If your child is ready for a little structure, Classics Gymnastics Center offers classes for preschoolers to high schoolers, taking kids from the early motor skill/coordination stage through strength and flexibility development to team competition. Rolling enrollment means youngsters can start whenever spaces are available. Gryphon Gymnastics’ owner Abby Reid (a Charlottesville native) is a former competitive gymnast and diver, and an accredited dance teacher, who offers both gymnastics and dance for children from ages 3-and-a-half. Gryphon also has a monthly Kids Night Out, where both current students and observers can come for an evening of play, dance, games, crafts—and pizza!
Don’t forget to stretch
Kids practice yoga to help develop stability, flexibility, and body awareness—or perhaps pretend they’re genies. Bend Yoga offers supportive classes for pregnant women, new mothers, children 6 weeks to 18 years (that’s a range!), and family options. Kids’ classes focus on playful and engaging exercises: “Be kind and have fun!”
Shall we dance?
Wilson School of Dance has a full range of classes from Princess/Pre-Ballet (ages 3-5), Children’s Dance Program (ages 2 to 10), Pre-Jazz (age 4 and a half to 6), to Hip-Hop (age 7 to teens), and Tap (teen to adult). Youngsters might be intrigued by the Frozen class—a chance to be Elsa, Anna, or Olaf (or maybe even Sven). For kids 8 and older, Phoenix Dance Studio concentrates on the aerial dance forms of silk and lyra—working with silk banners, hanging hoops, and other aerial aids (think Cirque du Soleil!).
Dip in
There’s a wealth of area options for year-round swimming—indoor, outdoor, public, private, pools, and lakes. Then there’s Central Virginia Swim Services, where Lake Monticello native Kate Purnell turned her experience and passion for teaching swimming into a coaching business that offers private and small-group customized lessons at area club pools year-round—or they can come to your community pool (or the one in your backyard).
Karate kids?
The first step in martial arts is deciding what form fits your children and their needs: judo? Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Kung fu? Taekwondo? Karate? Many studios offer classes for children starting at age 3, as well as for families. And have fun with the names for the preschool classes: Knee-High Ninjas (Mountain Kim Martial Arts); Spider Monkey and Me (Gracie Charlottesville); Little Tigers (Tiger USA Taekwondo).
