Looking for a Fun Inexpensive Place to Take My 4 Year Old Daughter for Fun!

Cosley zoo in Winfield is cute and free. It's small, but that can be just right for the preschool age.

Depending on where you are located - I really enjoy the DuPage Children Museum. They do offer membership prices too. Good luck!

Sometimes we just go to the mall at Foz Valley (Westfield Mall now) and ride the carousel and do the play area. As weather gets better, we go to different parks. As far as dance, Community Christian Church School for the Arts has dance classes (ballet, tap) in Naperville and Romeoville. My daughter loves her instructor - reasonably priced and they have recitals too.

There is a place called Airtastic near 75th and Ogden that has a lot of inflatable climbing jumping things. It is a ton of fun. It's $10 for 2 hours and $7 for 1 hour and open every day, unlike other jump places.

I seeyou are in bolingbrook, so am I. We have a great park district with TONS of inexpensive activities. Parent/Tot time at the pool is a lot of fun. Imagination Station is FREE. There are also several different classes there too. DuPage Childrens museum in Naperville is fun. Bowling can be inexpensive depending on time of day you go. We also have a GREAT library with storytimes, lapsits and all kids of different things.

Have Fun!!!

F.
www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/faithjones

HI
My kids always love going to IKEA. Their kids area is a lot of fun. Plus it's fun for mom too! They also have inexpensive meal and dessert options right there! I believe there is a kids area to eat in the Bolingbrook IKEA too!! This is the place to go when money is really tight and mom needs to get out of the house as much as then kids!!!!

Hi D.,
as for the dance / gymnastics my suggestion would be to try your local park district. I live in lombard and use the lombard park district for activities for myself and my daughter and the price is very reseasonable.

K.

Gymquest in plainfield has open gyms and dance classes and gymnastics classes. the open gyms are pretty much a free for all andparents can go in with their child! gymquest.com is the website and it has all the times and days and classes for you to view! enjoy!

My daughter is 2 1/2 and also has a TON of energy. My husband and I take her to Gymquest in Plainfield. They are mostly for gymnastics classes, but they also do birthday parties and for our kids' age group they have Open Gym on Monday and Friday from 10:00 to 11:30, and also Monday Wednesday Friday from 1:00 to 2:30. We prefer the earlier Open Gym since our daughter still takes naps. Anyway, they have all the gymnastic equipment that the kids can explore with (uneven bars, balance beam, trapeze, etc...) plus they have trmapolines built in the floor and foam pits to jump in. For Open Gym they blow up those huge bouncy things you see at carnivals for the kids to climb up and slide down. $7.00 per child for Open Gym - You can visit www.gymquest.com for more info. I believe they have one in Lisle as well if you ever head that direction.
My daughter was doing perfect somersaults before the age of 2 and has amazing arm strength now from being able to hang and swing at this place!
Have fun!

There is a relatively new Dance studio in Elmhurst owned by a young lady in her 20's! She recently appeared on one of the dancing shows - so you think you can dance. She has all kinds of classes for all ages - kids to adults - pilates to hip hop. Her last name is DeForest and the studio is a small side street just off of Lake Street (and just west of York Road.) The believe it is called Deforest Dance Studio. The number is ###-###-####, and the website is: www.deforestdance.com I went to it briefly and there is a classes called "mommy and me". Sounds like it is right up your alley.
You may also want to contact your local park district to see about local free events or low-cost events. The library in our town has a lot of events as well.
Good luck! C. Bajkowski

Hi D.,
I see you are in Bolingbrook and that someone else also recommended the park district. I actually just got home from a parent/tot gymnastic class (our first day) with my 2-year old twins and it was a great time. I know there are dance classes at the park district too. The great thing about the Bolingbrook Park District is if you get a resident ID then you get the reduced resident price which is great. I also like the parent/tot swim time at the Rec/Aquatic Center...I've gone to that once. If you look in the Park District Booklet they also show they have open gym time where the kids can just run free and get their wiggles out. Someone recommended the Imagination Station (also at the park distric, at the BRAC) and that's a great thing. It's free, and we even had the twins' birthday party there which was tons of fun. I also agree about the Dupage Children's Museum, that's fun for kids of all ages. I also have a membership to the Arboretum and they have an awesome (and BIG!) kids area!! Lots of cool places for the little ones to learn & explore! Good luck!

The arboretum is great. They have a children's section that I take my son through when the weather is nice. I bought a membership last year and it was soo worth it. They do bday parties too. You should go one day and check into it. They have summer classes for kids also. www.mortonarb.org

We just became members at the Dupage Children's Museum in downtown Naperville. I think she would love it there!

You can catch the train to ~Brookfield Zoo (they stop just a few blocks from the zoo!)
~Starved Rock (gas money)(Ottawa)
~Morton Arboretum (Lisle)
~Children's Museum (Naperville)
~Vertical Endeavors (climbing wall - inside Lifetime Fitness)
~Lizzadro Museum-lapidary art! (Elmhurst)

Morton Arboretum: childrens garden or explore the area around Marmo pond

I don't know if its too far, but Phillips Park in Aurora is great and free. They have a free zoo that is open every day that is perfect for 4 year olds. Bigger than Cosley in Wheaton. They even have Mastedom bones that were dug up right there in the lake. From the zoo you walk to the HUGE park. Many play structures and lots of shade and picnic tables. I always pack a lunch and can keep my 5 year old twins happy for hours. They even have two big cannons that you can sit on. Always a hit with the kids. And its all free!

Our daughters 8 and 2 dance at Illinois Dance Academy on 59 and Caton Farm! They love it and Ms. Trish the owner is fabulous! Good Luck!

We love Miss Chrissy at Elite Feet Dance in downtown Glen Ellyn.

Danna,

Not sure if this is close, but as far as dance classes, I have had a phenomenal experience where my two daughters take dance. We have been going over the last eight years to The Dance Centre in Lombard. The owner teaches the youngest level classes and she is wonderful with them. Schaumburg Waterworks is an indoor waterpark that is really fun and costs @$7 to get in. Look under their park district website for info.

Hello D.,
Depending what town you live in you might want to check with the park district. I live in Lombard and the park district offer a verity dance and gymnastic classes for all ages. I take my 3 year old to the The Coco Key Water Resort is an indoor water park Sheraton Chicago Northwest 3400 Euclid Avenue Arlington Heights, IL 60005
###-###-#### day pass are $ 19.95 a little pricy but its a full day of fun and the two of us have a blast, week days are the best time to go and we bring are own food in.