Kindermusik or Gymboree

I would do the gym due to the teaching of movement over playing to music. The skills she would learn from the gym classes would help build her body and still be there when she is older.

Music Together! Fun great activity that honors children's developmental growth. www.musictogether.com

We did Kinder and it was fine for EVERYBODY ELSE. He wouldn't pay attention, he ran around and basically sucked the joy out of it. Wish I saved my money.

It seems like little girls did MUCH better than the boys. I quit (SOOOO not like me) but I was always on the verge of tears by the time it was over with.

I thought it was well planned out and the teachers were very nice. The "idea" of talking to other parents wasn't possible. Everybody just concentrated on their own kid and then left. Bummer because I would have liked to meet other people that had a child my son's age.

I don't have much exposure to Kindermusik, but wasn't excited about their tapes. (I nannied for a couple of Kindermusic families.)

I love, and highly recommend, Music Together. We have their cds at our home ( a gift) and my son's preschool features their program. He loves it. The activities are highly appropriate for younger children who need to move.

Also, if you have a little one, consider a more active class which offers a chance to pay for one session to see if it's a good fit for your family. Good programs will usually offer this. And as mentioned previously, try your local library and see if this is something your little girl is interested in. Even at 2 years old, my son was all about running around the big room and making friends-- paid no attention at all to the librarian, the stories or the songs. It really depends on the child.

Good luck and have fun!

We've never been to Gymboree but prefer Music Together over Kindermusik.They have locations I'm aware of in Rochester & Grosse Pointe.

I never tried kindermusik but I LOVE Gymboree. My son did it from 4 months - 25 months, and would have kept going but we moved and didn't start again in the new place. Now I'm doing it with my 14 month old daughter and plan to keep going for awhile. She loves it, as did my son.

For music, we have always done Music Together (www.musictogether.com). My son did all nine collections (three years) and my daughter is about to start her second collection. Highly recommended! Hopefully there is a location near you.

*I* like Kindermusik, but my son hated it. He does not like the circle times and all the structure of it. We much prefer Gymboree Play and Learn for my son. While there is slight structure, it's mostly playing with children on the equipment and gaining social skills. I was able to chit chat with other parents, as well. I also find Gymboree to be a better value. It is $67 a month here. There is one class a week, but there are also open gym times. (The place is open for play, with no classes.) There are 6 open gym per week. With Kindermusik, you just get the one class per week. If your daughter likes structured play, then Kindermusik would work. If not, it's really hard.

**I don't know if open gym is at every location, you'd have to look into yours.

I haven't done Gymboree but these are my views about kindermusic .

I liked it a lot. It all depends on the teacher and the one we had was really good and did a good job keeping the kids entertained. I saw that older kids were sitting in one place and listening to the rhymes and stories. There were a few little ones too sitting on their parent's laps and enjoying the class.

My son on the other hand wouldn't sit in one place.He was all over the room. The only times he would join in was when they handed over the toys for the rhymes. he was interested in playing with them.

We attended 2 classes and gave up. My son does the same during library story times as well, he just can't sit in one place. Th e teacher told M. it;s normal for kids to walk around esp the ones who have just leaned to walk.

As for interaction, my son enjoyed all the fun and having so many people around in his own way. It was difficult for M. run behind him all the time. Mostly the parents sit with their kids. There wasn't a lot of chance for interation with other moms or kids.

Never did Kindermusik, and only did a guest Gymboree class, but did lots of sessions of Music Together and it was wonderful for this age right through nearly 5. The Music Together program is a ton of fun for the kids and is based on very solid research about kids and how they learn music - but it just seems like play to the children!

Kindermusik is like Music Together. We really liked both the Music Together and the Gymboree. Gymboree is more physically active and changes activities more rapidly. If your child has trouble staying with the group and has a lot of energy, the the Kindermusik would not be for her. A benefit of Gymboree is that there is open play sessions that are completely free if you are enrolled in a class. From that standpoint, there is more bang for you buck because you get your child active 3-4 times a week, not just one. Both are a lot of fun, you can't go wrong.