Surprising lessons that parents are signing their kids up for.
Parents have been sending kids to gymnastics and swimming lessons as long as we can remember, but some of today’s moms and dads are starting way younger by signing their babies up for crazy classes like DJing and computer coding. And they’re spending a small fortune on these over the top programs.
While experts agree that young children need opportunities to interact with other kids their age, parent educator and child development specialist Donna Holloran says “babies and toddlers don’t need specific classes to thrive socially.” She advises just taking kids to the park or setting up a playgroup so they can play with other kids, but some parents prefer over the top classes like these.
- Baby DJ School - A modern twist on music lessons, Baby DJ School teaches infants as young as two months about electronic, hip-hop, and house music through singing, dancing, and mixing and scratching. An eight-week session is $200.
- Computer coding - Parents want to encourage kids to go for well-paying tech jobs, so they’re starting them young at Seattle-based Computing Kids where kiddos in kindergarten through eighth grade can learn about web programming and mobile app inventing in six or 12-week sessions that start at $130.
- Infant massage - At the Pump Station parents learn special baby massage strokes and techniques to help relieve gas and colic and improve sleep patterns in infants up to nine months old through a series of $100, 60-minute sessions.
- Gardening - At Los Angeles-based Little Saplings, young gardeners and their folks can learn about topics like planting potted gardens and growing veggies. Owner Ruth Steinberg charges on a sliding scale, but the typical rate is $85 an hour.
- Meditation - Little ones learn to focus at The Den in LA, where they specialize in teaching meditation techniques to seven to 12-year-olds in a 45-minute, four-week session that goes for $150. Or you can get a private lesson for $185 for a “more targeted experience,” which your kid with zero attention span may need.
Source: Moneyish