Gymboree Play & Music Turns 50

Posted: 29th January 2026

Since 1976, families around the world have come to Gymboree Play & Music for more than classes. They come for confidence, community, and the simple joy of watching their child discover the world through play. From first smiles and first steps to first friendships, we’ve been honoured to be part of millions of early childhood moments — and we’re just getting started.

A Legacy Built on the Power of Play

Gymboree Play & Music was founded in 1976 by Joan Barnes with a simple but powerful belief: play is a child’s most natural way of learning, and shared experiences between parents and children are essential to healthy development.

That belief still guides everything we do today. Long before play-based learning became widely recognised, Gymboree Play & Music created programmes that support the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively — while strengthening the parent-child bond at every stage of early childhood.

More Than Classes — A Place to Grow Together

In a world where parenting advice is everywhere and expectations can feel overwhelming, Gymboree Play & Music offers something refreshingly simple: a welcoming, judgment-free space where families can show up, play together, and enjoy the moment.

Every Gymboree Play & Music experience is designed with intention:

Play classes that encourage exploration, problem-solving, and confidence
Music classes that support development through song, movement, and rhythm
Art classes that inspire creativity and self-expression
Parent participation at the heart of it all — because children learn best with you by their side

It’s not about doing more. It’s about making the moments that matter count.

A Global Community, One Shared Experience

Today, Gymboree Play & Music serves families through hundreds of centres across dozens of countries. No matter where you are in the world, the experience is built on the same foundation: developmentally appropriate programmes, thoughtfully designed environments, and a shared commitment to joyful learning through play.

Step into any Gymboree Play & Music centre, and you’ll find laughter, music, movement — and a community of families growing together.

Looking Ahead: The Next 50 Years of Play

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re deeply grateful to the families, teachers, franchise owners, and team members who have shaped Gymboree Play & Music over the past 50 years. You are the heart of our story.

The world will continue to change, but children will always need time, space, and permission to play — and parents will always need places that support connection, creativity, and confidence.

Whether you’ve been part of the Gymboree Play & Music community for years or are discovering us for the first time, we invite you to celebrate 50 years of play with us.

Watch out for events in our Centres, giveaways on social media, and special offers throughout our 50th year!

Here’s to the next generation of little learners, big milestones, and joyful moments.
Happy 50th birthday, Gymboree Play & Music. Let’s keep playing.

Anniversary

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