Activities for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers in Charlottesville
Keeping babies and toddlers busy, learning, and having fun each day can feel overwhelming, especially to new parents. Luckily, the Charlottesville area offers plenty of mommy & me classes and activities for parents with babies and toddlers.
From fitness and movement to music and art, there is something for every busy parent and their even busier little ones.
Fitness & Outdoor Activities for Mommy & Me in Charlottesville
Staying fit and healthy is good for parents, and busy, active classes keep babies and toddlers having fun. Parents and caregivers in the Charlottesville area can find a variety of baby fitness classes and outdoor toddler groups to enjoy.
Hike It Baby
Hike It Baby believes all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors, and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. They meet for walks at various places in the Charlottesville region.
One Fit Mother
One Fit Mother is a Charlottesville community of women supporting each other in fitness, motherhood, and life. The group’s instructors are nationally certified and trained in prenatal, postpartum, and female fitness. They offer mommy & me classes, family fitness classes, core classes, and more.
Progress Studio
This fitness studio in Belmont offers fitness classes for all parents, including a Mommy & Me class for new moms either with or without their baby/toddler. This class focuses on core and strength training exercises that are ideal for new or postpartum moms. Sessions also feature developmental exercises for your newborn to participate in.
Kindred Cville
Kindred is a wellness collective and yoga studio that focuses on supporting parents by building community and promoting health. In addition to offering prenatal and postpartum yoga classes—babies and toddlers welcome!—the group also offers support through workshops, and meetups to help new parents learn caregiving skills and build relationships with each other.
Wildrock
Families can enjoy exploring, creating, hiking, and playing in Wildrock’s three-acre play area with over a dozen play zones! This Crozet gem is open to the public year-round. The outdoor exploration center offers trails, a barn, a labyrinth, a bird sanctuary, and more. Reservations are required to visit.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Kids Classes & Kids Sports to find offerings for all ages in everything from piano and lacrosse to STEM and baby yoga!
Charlottesville Music & Art Classes for Babies & Toddlers
Parents and caregivers can also find a variety of baby and toddler classes, programs, and play groups centered around music and art in Charlottesville.
Blue Ridge Music Together
Offering a variety of classes in Charlottesville and Crozet, Blue Ridge Music Together is a fun, musical community of families learning music together. Babies & young children are free to move around, be who they are, and experience the musical environment. See classes: blueridgemusictogether.com
The Art Bar
The Art Bar offers a variety of art, craft, and music classes for all ages. Their Toddle Time program is the perfect opportunity for kids ages 2-4 to explore art and creativity in a hands-on, social environment. Classes include stories, hands-on activities, and chances for both kids and parents to socialize.
The Front Porch
The Front Porch is non-profit organization dedicated to connecting the community through music. Their Mini Maestros program is particularly geared toward young kids and their parents, offering classes for kids ages 18 months–3 years. Caregivers and children can explore music together through activities involving songs, rhythm, movement, and instruments.
Play Spaces for Babies & Toddlers
Blossom Play Space
A creative and inquiry-based space for children and their grown-ups, Blossom Play Space offers a variety of art, music, science, and movement programs. In addition to play classes for babies and toddlers, they also offer open play, scheduled by age, where kids can explore and create in a social environment with their caregivers.
Carver Recreation Center
This Charlottesville Parks & Recreation facility hosts multiple drop-in activites each week geared toward children ages 0-6. Sessions include a parent-led playgroup, art activities, and tumble time.
Virginia Discovery Museum
VADM has no shortage for activities for young children. The Discovery Museum’s regularly scheduled programs include an exploration time for newborns, infants, and toddlers called Baby Buds, as well as Crafty Creators, a mixed-age art program for preschoolers and their parents/caregivers. They also offer an all-ages storytime.
Ivy House Play Space
Ivy House Play Space, located in Crozet, offers a variety of spaces where children ages 0-5 can explore and socialize under the care of their grown-up. With a soft-play area, theme room, and outdoor space, Ivy House fosters creative, open-ended play and community building. Both open play and small group meetups are available.
Blue Ridge Children’s Museum
The Blue Ridge Children’s Museum, located in Waynesboro, offers both indoor and outdoor play spaces for children of all ages, including those under age 2. Be sure to check their scheduled programs for activities designed specifically for the youngest children, such as Toddler Time offered in collaboration with the Frontier Culture Museum.
Baby & Toddler Swim Lessons in Charlottesville
The pools and swim programs in Charlottesville offer classes for children as young as six months. Many places offer swim lessons year-round, not just in the summer. They often fill up quickly, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on schedules and plan ahead to register.
ACAC
ACAC offers baby and me classes designed for children ages 6 months–3 years, focusing on water acclimation through various songs and activities with expert instructors.
Central Virginia Swim Services
Central Virginia Swim Services provides private and semi-private swim lessons at your home or one of their partner pools. Year-round partners include Fairview Swim & Tennis Club and Fork Union Military Academy; summer partners include Forest Lakes North and Key West Swim & Tennis Club. Classes are offered for ages and abilities.
Child’s Play Infant Aquatics
City of Charlottesville Parks & Recreation
The Parks & Recreation department in Charlottesville offers a variety of lessons for all ages and skill levels. In the winter classes are offered at Smith Aquatic & Fitness Center in the City; during the summer they are usually at Washington Park Pool. You don’t have to be a City resident for your child to participate.
Piedmont Family YMCA
The Brooks Family YMCA offers swim classes starting at 6 months old. Lessons range from 30-45 minutes depending on the age. Classes are scheduled during weekday mornings and evenings as well as on weekends.
Mommy & Me Storytimes in Charlottesville and Crozet
Books, crafts, and more! Storytimes abound in Charlottesville and Crozet. On most days of the week, parents and caregivers can find a baby story time program or play group to join.
Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
The Botanical Garden offers special storytimes in partnership with JMRL. They also host their signature Create With Nature program, during which children and caregivers stroll the garden looking for story book pages and then create a nature-themed craft.
Jefferson-Madison Regional Libraries
The JMRL branches offer a variety of storytimes, including many parent and me sessions geared toward children ages 3 and under. Check out Little Bookworms, Read & Rhyme Storytime, Together Tales, and more.
New Dominion Bookshop
New Dominion Bookshop is a staple of the downtown mall. In addition to book events for adults, they invite kids of all ages to join them for an hour-long storytime every Saturday morning.
Barnes & Noble
Visit Barnes & Noble in the Barracks Road Shopping Center ever Saturday morning for storytime in the children’s department.
Bluebird & Co. Storytime
Crozet’s local bookstore holds regular storytimes for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers on weekday mornings. The books featured are usually organized around a theme, and storytimes encourage play, movement, and participation.
Katharine Paljug is a freelance writer and novelist. She lives in Charlottesville with two busy kids and more books than she has time to read. Find her on Instagram as @katharinewrites.
