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Family Play (6 months – 5 years)

Where they are:
Crawling, Walking, Running, or Exploring! Everyone is welcome! Participating in a diverse class of physical, social, and cognitive developmental skills creates a dynamic class, where younger children benefit from watching older children and older children benefit from being leaders. Great for siblings too!
What to expect in class:
More adventures come to life through imaginary play in this multi-age play class. A perfect opportunity for siblings to experience class together, or for children to practice more diverse social skills like leadership and peer modelling.
other Play & Learn classes:
Babies
Crawlers
Walkers
Runners
Explorers
Explorers Plus
Explorers Advanced
Find your nearest centre
Family

Frequently Asked Questions - Family Play

What age is Gymboree Play & Music Family Play suitable for?

Gymboree Play & Music Family Play sessions are designed for children of mixed ages, typically from babies to early school-age children. These sessions allow siblings and families to play together in a safe, supportive environment with activities suitable for a range of developmental stages.

What happens in a Gymboree Play & Music Family Play session?

Family Play sessions include free play, soft play equipment, music, movement, and shared activities. Families can explore the space together at their own pace, encouraging creativity, movement, and quality time through play.

Are Family Play sessions suitable for siblings of different ages?

Yes. Family Play sessions are ideal for siblings of different ages. Activities are flexible and open-ended, allowing babies, toddlers, and older children to participate in ways that suit their individual abilities while playing together.

Do parents stay with their children during Family Play?

Yes, parents or carers stay with their children throughout the session. Family Play is designed to be a shared experience that encourages family bonding, interaction, and play between adults and children.

How is Family Play different from age-specific Gymboree Play & Music classes?

Family Play sessions are less structured than age-specific classes and focus on free exploration and shared play. While age-specific classes follow a developmental curriculum, Family Play offers flexibility for families with multiple children.

What are the benefits of Family Play sessions?

Family Play supports physical development, social interaction, creativity, and family bonding. Children practise movement and exploration while parents enjoy quality playtime together, making it a fun and enriching experience for the whole family.

Are Family Play sessions suitable for babies?

Yes. Gymboree Play & Music Family Play sessions are suitable for babies from around 6 months up to children aged 5 years. The environment is safe and padded, with flexible, open-ended activities that allow babies, toddlers, and older children to explore and play at their own pace alongside parents or carers.

What should we bring to a Family Play session?

You don’t need much — just comfortable clothes for active play, nappies, wipes, and anything your baby or child normally needs. Sessions take place in a clean, padded environment designed for safe movement. Babies and children should have bare feet to enable them to feel the space around them. Adults should wear socks.

Are Gymboree Play & Music Family Play sessions safe and supervised?

Yes. Family Play sessions take place in clean, padded spaces with equipment designed for young children. Trained staff are present to ensure a safe environment and support families throughout the session.

Where can I find Gymboree Play & Music Family Play sessions near me?

Gymboree Play & Music Family Play sessions are available at locations across the UK. You can find your nearest Gymboree Play & Music centre here: https://gymbo.co.uk/locations/

We love our classes at Gymbo! Polly is so warm and amazing with my little one. Each class is different and teaches them confidence and skills.

6 days ago

Love it! My boys have grown in confidence each week, the staff are so friendly, the spare fab. Perfect safe space for managing energetic twins and not feeling worried about where they are and what they’re doing, plus staff are always willing to help if needed. The membership works well and I like the option of adding open gym sessions too.

1 week ago

I've been taking my baby to Gymboree in Bristol since she was a few weeks old, and I'm now about to go back to work after maternity leave. It's been the best baby activity I've been to, and we've tried a few! It's more than a baby group - early on it was an activity to get out of the house for me, and later the multiple sessions during the week and open gyms really helped entertain my daughter when I was running out of ideas. Polly and team are amazing and it feels really inclusive of everyone, I can't praise them highly enough. I can have been having a tough day and l would leave gymboree lighter. I honestly feel very lucky to have been in walking distance of such a lovely and well-run gym/group.

1 week ago

We couldn't have chosen a better place for our little son to enjoy!
Customer services are absolutely fantastic, warm welcome, and always happy to help everyone!!
100% recommended!

1 week ago

Lovely staff and great classes but unfortunately no drop off classes at the a Bristol franchise for 3+ year olds.

Unfortunately the main website does not make it clear that the drop off classes for older children are not available everywhere, and promotes this as a core offer. We joined online and hoped that I could be with a napping baby whilst big sister had some fun, but these classes weren’t on offer and it was just 0-5s all together.

We gave it a go with one of these classes but it was just too much work with a tiny baby and a toddler to keep in check. We may return when the little one is walking.

Staff are very passionate and it is a great, but just not a good fit for us right now.

1 week ago

Such a warm and caring environment—the staff are amazing and my grandchild loves coming here!

1 week ago

Both my grandchildren and myself love the classes. Teachers are great and topics so inventive. My only slightly negative point is in the last few weeks the class has been very busy

1 week ago

We’ve loved the classes from baby sensory through to runners and explorers! Such a lovely safe space to play and learn!

2 weeks ago

We've absolutely loved coming here over the last two years. We started attending the regular classes when our nursery hours accommodated it, but now we do the parties and weekend open sessions when we can. Polly and the team are fantastic and make you feel so welcome! It's really boosted my toddler's confidence both physically and socially.

2 weeks ago

My daughter has been going to Gymboree for over a year now, and it's easily her favorite activity. I'm sure that her physical abilities have improved so much because of it. And I love the flexibility - the monthly membership is such good value, as we always end up going to a extra class or two each week on top of her regular one. Plus they run through school holidays! And I can't forget to mention the energy and enthusiasm Polly and Susie run their classes with. The kids all love them. Thank you Gymbo and team!

2 weeks ago

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Reviews

Both of my children (3.5 years and 11 months) go to Gymboree Play & Music and love it. My toddler goes to their drop-off Lego class which she raves about. It's very creative, working not only on Lego skills but also painting, drawing etc. My infant son loves his Gymboree Play & Music Crawlers class - particularly loves crawling all over their props, through the tunnels, etc. Great way to get the infant crawling over obstacles! Gymboree Play & Music is part of our weekly schedule for both kids and we look forward to participating every week. Invaluable!

Natalia

Gymboree Play & Music was a lovely and positive experience for my son Leo. We started when he was 9 months and he is now 3 years old, I wish we had started sooner.
He loves the songs (which is part of our daily singing at home), the freedom to explore and he was happy there. He looks forward to class every week and once class is over he will tell everyone about Gymbo and what he did.
For me, I liked that it taught him how to get down safely from a height, how to learn to use his body, and touching on different topics every 2 weeks. It gave me confidence in other environments to trust that he has the ability that he learned from Gymboree Play & Music and to trust him.

Sheena

I’ve been taking both my newborn and toddler to Gymboree Play & Music for a couple of months now and both boys are really loving the classes and open gym sessions. It’s a great way to meet other mums, entertain toddlers at witching hour(!) and get ideas for sensory play with babies. Sophie and Cat are fantastic and have so much energy and loads of different ideas for the classes, plus make sure the activities it’s help children meet their development milestones as well. Highly recommend this if you’re thinking about joining!! Thanks so much Sophie, Cat and the wider team :-)

Pippa
Read more of our 1453 reviews
4.8 / 5