Every parent is excited about getting their kids back in school (and structured days!) and decisions are being made about how to spend time surrounding the school day. Most families are familiar with sports, but what about some of the less thought of options that help continue education, build a foundation for success, and allow earned responsibility.
ARTS: BALLET, DANCE & MUSICAL THEATRE
With many arts programs being cut from school, incorporating dance, ballet or even musical theatre into your child’s schedule has numerous benefits ranging from physical coordination, grace and posture to mental strength and focus.
We love Scripps Performing Arts Academy because they inspire learning from the inside out, rather than trying to motivate students from the outside in. Utilizing age appropriate costumes and choreography, they produce beautiful and meaningful dance and musical theatre productions in lieu of dance competitions and recitals.
We’ve seen our kids creative thinking, confidence and musicality all grow through their time spent at ballet and musical theatre. Expression, projection and improvisational skills as well as teamwork can all be instilled through the arts. It’s no wonder so many athletes take ballet as a building block to pro football or tennis.
Scripps Performing Arts Academy has two locations in San Diego — Carmel Valley and Scripps Ranch — and both spots have classes for children through adults.
SWIMMING: SKILLS & SAFETY
Living in a coastal city, swimming is foundational for both skill and safety. Swim lessons can not only help your child when it comes to water safety, but it also opens up the doors to so many other activities and sports from surfing to kayaking, crew to swim team. We love Noonan Family Swim.
With four locations throughout San Diego, Noonan has a variety of programs to suit your family’s needs. They have a splash babies program, where infants and toddlers can learn water safety and adjust to the water. As children get older, they can learn all of the different techniques to excel in freestyle, backstroke and more. We often equate swim lessons with summer, but it is so important for children to take swim lessons throughout the year. By establishing a weekly lesson, your child will see progress and build confidence throughout the entire year. One of the things that we love about Noonan is how they have so many great instructors. Their team matches your child based on their ability as well as finding an instructor that will be a good fit. As a parent, I love how Noonan has helped my children progress in their swimming and enabled them to be confident in their water activities. My children love working their way up through the different levels as they complete different skills and strokes.
SCIENCE: CURIOSITY & HOW THINGS WORK
Make it all hands-on! From conducting your own experiments to cool reactions, learning the scientific process and the fundamentals of chemistry, learning can be so much fun (and a little messy at times). Macy’s has several trusted brands from Discovery and #MINDBLOWN to National Geographic and more where you can even make the weather forecast call for fun by creating a flurry of lifelike snow instantly! Make realistic snow anywhere with Discovery #MINDBLOWN build-a-blizzard snow-making experiment kit.
Or countdown to the science fun with Discovery #MINDBLOWN stem rocket ship reaction chamber experiment laboratory science play kit. It’s an all-in-one reaction chamber that features 6 extraordinary experiments including crazy foam, space lava, soda geyser, tornado lab, and snow storms.
From slime and putty to fossils, National Geographic has educational and fun kits for any science enthusiast! Studying nature around us with so many opportunities to explore our outdoors as well as feeding the curious while learning how things work and even learn about yourself.
SPORTS & GAMES
Teamwork, coordination and… so many life lessons come from learning to play a sport, individual or team. Handling competition, creating an inner-drive and discipline needed to get better and better. Whether you are signing up for a recreational league, travel team or just a little competition at the park, we love that Macy’s has all of the gear to make it happen.
Our kids love soccer and so this Franklin net is perfect for the backyard to practice their shot. While we may not be slam dunking quite yet, we are all about perfecting our shot with this ball and hoop. Or if you are looking to make practice a little more fun, this basketball pop-a-shot is fun for the whole family.
If you want to have a rotating P.E. option, check out the Stats Backyard Fun Set by Toys R Us. It’s the ultimate 12 piece set for a blast in the backyard or the beach complete with everything kids need for an active time outside. Practice hitting, scooping, and sending balls and discs flying.
