Anne L. Francis

Gym Play for Toddlers

Looking for a place your toddler can safely explore, play, develop gross motor skills and interact with other children his age? Try Kindergym at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.

This popular class meets two mornings per week in the spacious JCC gymnasium and provides a myriad of play options for your child, including many floor toys; a large boat swing; slides; toddler-sized basketball hoop; large and small balls; ball pit; ride-ons; large building blocks; play kitchen; and an obstacle course of jungle gyms, floor-level balance beams, cushions, and tunnels. The staff members who manage the space are friendly and provide optional mat activities -- songs, rhymes, and parachute play -- for caregiver and child.

To attend this class, you can purchase a 10-class KinderKard (use within four months), or just drop-in. Current pricing as of this writing: $85/$95 KinderKard (members/public); $10/$12 Drop-in (members/public).

The gymnasium space itself is well-lit and clean, with ample room for parking strollers away from the action. Bathrooms are clean, equipped with changing tables and step stools, and conveniently located right outside the gym entrance. Street parking in the JCC neighborhood is fairly challenging, so use the community center's parking garage -- if you're a member, it costs the same as parking at a street meter.

In short, huge play space, parking garage, clean bathrooms -- Kindergym is definitely worth a try for any 1 or 2 year old and his parent.

Kindergym at the JCC, San Francisco
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-292-1278
http://www.jccsf.org/content_main.aspx?catid=250#496

Stars: 5 out of 5