When you have children, you are constantly considering your options about how to enrich their world and how to make their lives more exciting while they learn something new, so we wanted to find unique kids classes in NYC, so you don’t have to search too much.
Previously, we’ve also checked out the 15 best places for kids’ birthday parties in NYC, so if your kid’s birthday is coming along, you might want to check this article too, to at least get some extra ideas before the big day. Plus, you know how difficult it is to book any location in NYC with a short notice, so having an idea ahead of time should only help. If you are a parent, you’re always looking for after school programs, classes and activities to keep those little ones occupied.
Back to the subject of the day, though. When looking for a kids class, you need to make sure the class is suitable for the age group your kid falls into, or, at the very least, their developmental stage. With older kids, that’s easier, but with younger ones, you might find yourself wondering if your toddler really is ready for handling glue.
Regardless, it’s fun to take your kid out so they can learn something new, experience something new, and come out excited about their day, chatting away about things they did.
For our list today we checked out Class Curious, which lists various classes dedicated to people of all ages. We looked for those activities you can take your kids at, and where we know, they’ll have a lot of fun. We also used a basic Google search to find even more stuff to do around New York City. Many of the classes on the list are suitable toddler classes in NYC, but you wont find many classes for babies in NYC, on this list.
In the end, we hope you enjoy these unique kids classes in NYC.
6. Bricks 4 Kidz
Who here loved playing around with Lego when they were kids and rejoice when their own kids ask to build something nowadays? Everyone!? Great! So, as the name suggests, Bricks 4 Kidz provides kids of all ages with activities involving the magic building blocks.
Bricks 4 Kidz was created to provide children with a great environment where they can learn, build and play with Lego bricks. The classes are designed around the basics of STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math – created by actual engineers and architects.
In the many locations Bricks 4 Kidz has, you can choose to take the children for after-school classes, for week-long summer camps, pre-school classes for the youngest kids, have them spend the night there having fun or even organize a birthday party.
One of its locations in New York City, for instance, offers the Jurassic Brick Land class for young kids, mixing dinosaurs and Legos. The classes last for three hours Monday through Friday and cost $300. Many other similar classes are available for kids of all ages, including older students who can learn about robotics, coding, and technology.
5. Jalopy Theater and School of Music
Over at the Jalopy Theater and School of Music, kids can learn to play music and to act. The youngest students, for instance, ages 7 to 14, can even partake in a summer camp for beginners, where they will spend half their days learning folk music. Attendees will learn to play guitar, banjo, and fiddle throughout the week, and they’ll even take voice lessons and exercise performing in a band. The cost for the entire week reaches $600.
The same location also offers private lessons for those hoping to learn how to play the banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, ukulele, or who may want to learn how to sing.
There are also group classes in all these instruments, plus classes in songwriting, performance, as well as singing and playing. Basically, they’re covering all the bases so the kids know how to do it all by the time they’re done. These classes can be great for those budding musicians, even if we’re talking about songwriting and not actual instrument playing.
4. Tiny Turnips Kitchen
With what may very well be the cutest name we’ve seen for a class, the Tiny Turnips Kitchen offers to help your kids cook. The classes are designed for kids as young as 3 years old, and they can even be one-on-one, organized as playdates, or even birthday parties.
For those parents that are concerned with their kids not eating enough, this may very well be the solution to get the children eating after they’ve spent some time actually helping out putting together lunch.
The Tiny Turnips Kitchen gives some example of themed parties, such as eating the rainbow after putting together colorful foods, making sushi, or decorating cookies, because who doesn’t like cookies, right?
The idea behind the concept is to get kids to try out more new things to eat, to overcome that pickiness that characterizes most children, while also helping out the parents get some relief from seeing their offspring eat something that is not on their regular menu. In the end, the theory that involving kids in creating their own meals may very well work out, especially when the recipes are simple.
For the parties, the Tiny Turnips Kitchen proposes are for children ages 5 to 13 and work for up to 10 kids. The $550 you end up paying involves preparing the food and cleaning up after, a 2 hour cooking and/or baking lesson in your very own home, the ingredients needed for the class and loads of fun. The menu will be adjusted to make room for any allergies kids may have. In the end, kids will get to enjoy Mermaids food and unicorn drinks, sushi and pot stickers, tacos and so on.
3. Active Minds Universe
Up next on our list of unique kids classes in NYC, we have the Active Minds Universe. This is a location where you can take your kids if they’re in need of some tutoring, or if you want them to expand their horizons by learning how to be more organized in their thinking, or how to use their imagination better to create cool Lego things.
The Kids Clubs focus on engaging the students in educational and creative activities. For instance, they’ll learn the ins and outs of chess, complete with planning and strategy skill, or they can learn to speak, read, and write in Spanish or Mandarin. They can even have some fun solving math problems and puzzles, or to use various science and technology modules while playing with LEGO.
There are also some classes designed to help students with their homework, since the caregivers may not always have the time or skills to help, especially with more advanced topics.
2. Brooklyn Arts Exchange
Over in Brooklyn, you’ll find the BAX or the Brooklyn Arts Exchange. This is a place whose mission is to support artists of all ages, regardless of the progress they’ve made so far, to aid them in their development. BAX is a place where children can study to grow into the artists they hope to become and where professional artists send time, create, and perform their work.
All in all, if your child has any interest in dance, theater, and tumble, this is the best place for them, especially since classes are dedicated to students as young as 1 year old and as old as 18 years old. The programs seek to help them build their skills, expand their creativeness, learn to collaborate, how to perform, and how to work with the community.
This summer, for instance, there are multiple arts programs that last a week and cost $470, such as Musical Madness, Circus Berzerkus, Dance Frenzy, Tumble Moves, or Theater Mania.
1. World Art
Finally, at the top of our list, we find the NY Kids Club, which offers classes for kids as young as 2.
One of the coolest classes they hold for kids of all ages is World Art. Each week, students will learn new things about cultures from all over the world, from Kenya to Japan, and so on, creating beautiful projects inspired by that country. Not only will they learn about new countries, but they’ll also learn how to paint, create cool pottery, and so on. After a few classes, your kid will be excitedly trying to guess where they’ll “go” to the next week.
The same place also offers other types of classes, such as gymnastics, sports, fitness, music, tennis, chess, dance, and theater, or STEM, depending on what you’re looking for your child and what they like. The World Art class, for instance, costs around $300.
All in all, these are some great places where you can take your kids all through the year to learn more new things and to expand their knowledge on the things they are already interested in. We hope you enjoyed our list of 6 unique kids classes in NYC and you found the perfect place to take your kid.