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5 Classes Moms Will Love To Take With Kids

While there are a variety of ways to learn alongside your little one in Orange County, these five classes give moms the chance to enjoying learning with their kids.
Parents and Kids Cook-Jeanelle Krawchuk
(Credit: Jeanelle Krawchuk)

Parents and Kids Cook
Prep Kitchen Essentials
Seal Beach
(562) 430-1217
www.prepkitchenessentials.com

Cooking is a pivotal life skill that children will have to learn at some point—and the sooner, the better. While you can practice at home in the kitchen with your little one, consider Prep Kitchen Essentials' Parents and Kids Cook classes. These one-off events may even teach you some new skills and recipes that you can put to use in your kitchen, and kids will love getting to make a few different dishes. The two-hour classes craft things like a chopped salad with a lemon vinaigrette, pork dumplings, garlic cheese bread, Asian garlic green beans, grilled steak with butter and churro cupcakes.

Toddler and Me Dance Classes-SweetPea Photography by Tracy - VERIFIED
(Credit: SweetPea Photography by Tracy)

Toddler and Me Dance Classes
Tippi Toes at the YMCA Studio
Huntington Beach
www.tippitoesdance.com

Few things are cuter than watching little ones dance their hearts out, and parents can get in on the action with the Tippi Toes Toddler and Me classes. Designed for the youngest of dancers, moms with toddlers between the ages of 18 months and 3 years can sign up and take an active role in the class. The fun, positive class, led by one of the dance company's instructors, will focus on balance, music and movement as well as some basic dance steps. The parent's role is to encourage their child and keep him or her on track as the instructor keeps the curriculum on track. Additional classes are offered at local community centers and gyms through the city's parks and recreation department.

Little Naturalists-Environmental Nature Center - VERIFIED
(Credit: Environmental Nature Center)

Little Naturalists
Environmental Nature Center
Newport Beach
(949) 645-8489
www.encenter.org

Typically held two Wednesdays a month—though other dates may certainly be added in—the Little Naturalists program is aimed at families with children between the ages of 3 and 5. A parent must be present during this class, making it the perfect time to bond with your child over nature and its beauty. These outdoor experiential education classes can be purchased individually, encouraging parents to explore along with their little ones as they discover the world through both physical and cognitive techniques. Activities that occur during these events include story time, bird watching, arts & crafts, games and more. An additional Tiny Naturalists series is available for those with babies between the ages of 3 months and 9 months.

Parent and Me Swim Classes-Blue Buoy Swim School - VERIFIED
(Credit: Blue Buoy Swim School)

Parent and Me Swim Classes
Blue Buoy Swim School
Tustin
(714) 832-8910
www.bluebuoy.com

For more than 50 years, Blue Buoy Swim School has offered swimming lessons for families, with eight students going on to represent the U.S. in the Olympic games. Start your little ones early with the school's Parent and Me classes. Open to those ages 3 and under, these sessions are offered six days of the week, allowing moms to hop in the pool and splash around with their toddlers. On top of that, once certain levels of swimming skills have been learned, moms can switch over to private or semi-private lessons with a little more specialized training. This is a great way to cool off when the Southern California weather is hot, but it's also a good way to teach kids a great skill and get some exercise at the same time.

music class child kid
(credit: Fh Photo/shutterstock)

Parent and Me Music Classes
Various Locations
www.kidslovemusic.net

Offered at local community centers and parks in cities like Tustin, Irvine, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Cypress, Buena Park, La Palm and Brea, these music classes are a great way to bond with children of all ages over music. There are three different levels for moms to participate in, including Babies Love Music, Toddlers Love Music and Kids Love Music. During these different classes, moms will enjoy listening to music and seeing their kids' reactions. Activities during these sessions include things like playing drums, xylophones, glockenspiel and metallophones as well as learning lap songs with chants and shakers and playing peek-a-boo, teaching kids new motor skills, vocabulary and helping with tonal memory.

Ashley Ryan is an Orange County native that loves traveling, live music and photography. She works as an editor at Firebrand Media, blogs at Pure Wander and writes for a variety of publications.
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