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Best Classes for Preschoolers and Toddlers in Atlanta

Join Dunwoody Nature Center for one of the most popular Nature Center programs: Mommy & Me Nature Class! Photo courtesy of the center
Join Dunwoody Nature Center for one of the most popular Nature Center programs: Mommy & Me Nature Class! Photo courtesy of the center
8/13/23 - By Maureen Wilkey

Take your toddler or preschooler to awesome Atlanta classes in order to stave off boredom, enrich skills, and meet friends. Parents can join their toddlers in the fun while they try new activities, meet other parents, or just play outside of the living room. Whether you're interested in nature, gymnastics, swimming, art, or museums, there's something for everybody on our list of top classes for toddlers and preschoolers in Atlanta!

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Young kids in Zoo Atlanta Adventure Cubs learn about amazing creatures each month. Photo courtesy Zoo Atlanta
Young kids in Zoo Atlanta Adventure Cubs learn about amazing creatures each month. Photo courtesy Zoo Atlanta

Outdoor Preschool Classes in Atlanta

Dunwoody Nature Center Mommy & Me Classes

Dunwoody
18 months - 3.5 years
Parents and toddlers (18 months-3.5 years old) explore the outdoors and participate in themed activities. Sign up for a 12-week session on the weekday of your choice. Groups meet from 10-11am or 11:15 am-12:15 pm on their scheduled day. READ MORE

Atlanta Botanical Garden Playtime

Midtown
6 months-5 years
Parents dive into nature with their kids (ages 6 months-5 years) every Tuesday under shade trees on the Great Lawn. Garden staff lead the group in artistic activities. Seasonal: March-October. Free for ages 3 and under. READ MORE

Zoo Atlanta Adventure Cubs

Grant Park
0-5 years
Twice each month kids ages 0-5 and their caregivers explore a new theme—a different animal and region. The hour-long program includes an activity, a story, and a take-away memory. Program leaders send the kids with a to-go activity to do at the zoo. Zoo admission is included with the cost of the class. READ MORE

Music and Art Classes for Toddlers and Preschoolers in Atlanta

The Music Class

Multiple locations
0-4 years
From East Cobb to Suwanee, Buckhead to Johns Creek, families can always find The Music Class nearby. Founded in Atlanta, it is now all over the world. Parents attend infant classes with their babies or can choose a class with a mix of ages (babies-4) in the Music Pups program, ideal for siblings. The young children learn original music, dance and play instruments during the 45-minute class. Birthday parties available. READ MORE

Music Together Metro Atlanta

Vinings and East Cobb
0-4 years
Caregivers and their little ones sing, dance, and play in these 45-minute sessions. Music Together offers classes for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and children with special needs. Birthday parties available. READ MORE

High Museum of Art Toddler Thursdays

Midtown
15 months- 3 years
Caregivers and toddlers (15 months to 3 years) visit the High museum to engage in art-making activities based on a weekly theme. Entry to galleries is included. Parents register for one of two time-slots each week but do not have to commit to attending every week. READ MORE

La Dee Da Children's Art Studio

Sandy Springs
18 months- 4 years
Art grows with kids at this Sandy Springs art school and studio. Start out with Ooey Gooey Sensory Fridays, then graduate to Messy Toddler Tuesdays! Older kids, tweens and teens can enjoy making works of art. Summer camp and school break camps offered, as well as creative art birthday parties. READ MORE

Vinings School of Art Mommy & Me Art Class

Vinings
3 years and up
Parents choose to paint with their child in a private session or join a group class of other parents and children. Classes are one hour and are designed for children ages 3 and up. READ MORE

Marietta Cobb Museum of Art Toddler Time

Marietta
1-5 years
Read a fun story and create an art project to help your 1-5 year old practice fine motor skills at the Marrietta Cobb Museum of Art. Classes take place on Tuesdays and Fridays and are $5 with museum admission. Space is limited, so RSVP! READ MORE
Gymboree offers fun movement classes for toddlers with caregivers. Photo courtesy of Gymboree
Gymboree offers fun movement classes for toddlers with caregivers. Photo courtesy of Gymboree

Best Movement and Dance Classes in Atlanta

Gymboree Play & Music Atlanta

Sandy Springs and Johns Creek
0-4 years
Moms and dads find lots of options at Gymboree, which has parent-child classes for newborns through age five. Babies experience tummy time, sensory play, and music while toddlers play on monkey bars, crawl through tunnels, and dance. READ MORE

Atlanta Ballet's Tiny Dancer & Me

Buckhead and Virginia-Highland
2 years+
Adults and their 2-year-old tiny dancers bond by learning locomotive movement in 45-minute classes. Parents can choose from three Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education sites—two in Buckhead and one in Virginia-Highland. READ MORE

Buckhead Gymnastics & Cheer: Moms, Pops & Tots

Buckhead
2 years +
Toddlers and their caregivers learn basic movement/gymnastic skills from the gym's trained instructors in a fun environment. READ MORE

My Gym Roswell

Roswell
0-5 years
Babies can move from aggressive crawling to running, while also learning skills like stacking blocks, kicking a ball, and riding a tricycle at these fitness-focused caregiver-and-child classes. Kids join Gymsters class (from 18-30 months) and finally attend the Terrific Tots program, where grown-up involvement is reduced. Summer camp and birthday parties available. READ MORE

YMCA of Atlanta

Multiple locations
All ages
With over two dozen locations around metro Atlanta, the YMCA offers family programs with activities like exercise classes, sports leagues, swimming and camps. The Y hosts school holiday camps as well as summer day and overnight camps. The Y also provides assistance to those who cannot afford childcare or gym memberships.  READ MORE

The Little Gym: A Perfect Start

Decatur, Smyrna, Alpharetta, and Snellville
4 months- 3 years
Parent-child classes at The Little Gym incorporate movement, music, and social skills, while teaching numbers, colors, and letters in a friendly, action-oriented format, where kids get to tumble, climb, and explore on mats and play structures. Kids ages 4 months to 3 years can participate with a grown-up. READ MORE
Help your child build the skills needed for school through Building Blocks: Preschool Playtime at the Children's Museum of Atlanta. Photo courtesy of the museum
Help your child build the skills needed for school through Building Blocks: Preschool Playtime at the Children's Museum of Atlanta. Photo courtesy of the museum

Fun and Unique Atlanta Classes for Toddlers

Alliance Theatre Babies: Off-Book!

Midtown
0-2 years
Babies and toddlers up to two years old can get a little introduction to theater in this sensory storytime class at the Alliance Theatre. Caregivers can bring the story to live with rhymes, singing, and tactile props. READ MORE

Southeastern Railway Museum: Second Thursday Preschool Program

Duluth
2-4 years
Kids ages 2-4 can learn more about vehicles on the second Thursday of each month at the Southeastern Railway Museum. The program includes games, stories, songs, activities, crafts, and when available, the actual “vehicle of the month” for children to see and experience.  READ MORE

Children's Museum of Atlanta: Building Blocks Preschool Playtime

Midtown
1-5 years
Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, children ages 1-5 can head to the Art Studio at the Children's Museum of Atlanta for play-based activities that promote school readiness. Classes are included in the cost of museum admission throughout the school year.  READ MORE

Oodazu

Buckhead
6 months and up
Parents can book playtime, camps, yoga, music classes, and more activities, as well as birthday parties, at Oodazu. This is a fun, zen spot to play, climb, slide, center, and connect with lots of kids. READ MORE

Fernbank Museum: Story Time

Druid Hills
1-5 years
On Monday and some Tuesdays, preschoolers ages 1-5 can enjoy a story and a special demonstration from a Fernbank Museum educator. Cost is included in museum admission. READ MORE
Learn to swim with mom at Aqua-Tots Swim Schools. Photo courtesy of the school
Learn to swim with mom at Aqua-Tots Swim Schools. Photo courtesy of the school

Best Swim Lessons for Atlanta Toddlers & Babies

Aqua-Tots Swim Schools

Multiple locations
4 months and up
Teach your infants and kids to swim at one of the many Atlanta-area Aqua-Tot locations. The parent & tot classes allow caregivers to get into the water, while the higher level classes offer children the chance to become more confident in the water. READ MORE

Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation Aquatics

Multiple locations
6 months and up
The city maintains four indoor swim instruction centers: the C.T. Martin Natatorium, Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation and Aquatic Center, Rosel Fann Natatorium, and Washington Park Natatorium. Group lessons are available for children younger than 13, beginning with Aqua Tot classes (parents in the pool) through beginners and into more experienced levels. Swimmers receive one-on-one instruction from the city’s certified instructors. READ MORE

Swim Atlanta

Multiple locations
6 months and up
Lessons at these facilities are designed to make children lifelong fans of the water. SwimAtlanta says many of its students join competitive swim teams. Private, semi-private, and small-group lessons are available and instructors are available seven days a week. READ MORE

Gwinnett County Aquatics

Multiple locations
6 months and up
Group, private, and semi-private lessons are available at a number of pools across Gwinnett County. See the website to pick a pool and schedule suitable for your child. Families can also enjoy water exercise and lifeguard training classes and other aquatic activities like camp in the summer. Note: Some pools are open seasonally only. Classes begin at age 6 months with water orientation classes; children who are not potty-trained must wear swim diapers. READ MORE

Swimmerman Swim School

Atlanta and Stockbridge
3 months and up
Kids small-group classes here begin as early 3 months of age (Baby and Me) and continue through age 12. Class sizes are small, sometimes as few as two students at the introductory level, and gradually grow as kids become more experienced. Classes are 25-50 minutes long and more experienced kids can qualify for the club’s swim team. Lessons are available for adults and children with special needs. Classes are in Midtown and Stockbridge. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Marrietta Cobb Museum of Art
Atlanta Ballet- Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre
Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA
Southeastern Railway Museum
City of Atlanta Office of Recreation