What is a Child Development Class?

There are lots of things to do this winter in Boston with a baby or young toddler, possibly an overwhelming amount: music, gym, art, or yoga classes are all very popular. But a child development class is a unique experience for both child and caregiver.

What is a child development class? Cecilia Matson, of Galoop Classes in Brookline, summarizes it this way: “A child development class offers activities that help children develop, but also conversations with an expert that help support parents and caregivers.”

Matson, a former instructor for Isis Parenting, says that child development classes at Galoop have the same structure every week but offer some variations within that structure every week. “Babies and small children crave both the reassurance of the structure but also the novelty of new experiences.”

The length and the flow of the class are also important, Matson says. At Galoop, each class is an hour long and includes circle time, songs, parachute play, art and sensory activities, free play, discussion for parents and caregivers, story time, bubbles, and goodbyes.

But parental support is also a unique feature of a child development class. “It’s hard to be a parent,” Matson says. “There’s a lot of information out there, and much of it conflicts if you look at it in a vacuum.”

She says her job is to help parents find the path that works for both them and their children. “There is no one way to parent – each parent, child, and family has different temperaments, learning styles, needs, and goals.”