Class Review--Movers and Shakers at Becoming Maternity

Class Name: Movers and Shakers
Location: Becoming (Toronto location)
Time: 11-12
Day: Friday
Session: Winter

This class is fun for the little ones. Although there are some discussions and handouts about certain developmental topics it's really a class where you can bring your child and play games and interact with others. It's a chance for you to see where your child is at developmentally and learn some of the activities you can do with your child now that they are active and aware. Most of the classes make for good dinner topics with your hubby at night "You wouldn't believe what he did today at class..." "It was so funny when we did this today..."...It's fun to see just how amazed your child is over bubbles.

THE GOOD:
The leader, Allison, switches activities very quickly which is great for the infants and discusses how each activity improves a skill.

There are songs, bubbles, rhymes, books, toys, paint, musical instruments, puppets, a tunnel, tents and a parachute and really--what more could a child want? My baby would leave there tired and slept well after class so that was a good sign.

The leader Allison would talk about easy developmental toys/activities that you could do at home (without spending money) so that was great! Her ideas were simple and always helped to improve a skill.

Time of day was excellent--just after the morning nap and before the afternoon one. Perfect time for this age group.

I liked the class because as long as the babies are entertained I am happy. It is encouraged to participate with your child and ask questions if you have them. Personally, it was nice to zone out a little when Allison was doing storytime. And I just liked seeing my son's reaction to the activities--that to me was fun! I also got some great ideas for things to do during the day with him.

OVERALL:
The best classes were the ones where the discussions weren't separate from the activities. (which was the way most classes were conducted) So for instance talking about motor development as we did "the wheels on the bus" with the babies' legs. Or going through the tunnel and talking about crawling. Or sorting shapes/putting away and talking about tricks on how to do teach these effectively. Neat ideas for activities at home were great--simple things that you just say to yourself "why didn't I think of that?". Overall, I would recommend this class for babies who are starting to get active as it keeps them entertained and happy. And a happy baby has a happy mommy. I would call this class his "workout" because he would leave there so tired but happy.

Also at Becoming:
If you are looking for more of class where you can talk and get advice on your child's development then I would recommend Little Movers.