Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays throughout the school year, Kindergym is offered in a recreation room at Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland. The play sessions are open to children under three years old.
The hour-long play session is broken up into two parts: free play time in a safe, toy-packed playspace and circle time with some songs and puppets. This class is open to children of any background, and circle time on Friday incorporates some elements of the Jewish Shabbat tradition. (Challah bread is shared after a candle-lighting.)
Director Jeni Markowitz Clancy circulates in the room, greeting everyone, encouraging toddlers and supporting parents with empathetic small talk about naps and tantrums. She invites families to sign up for a session to come weekly or attend as a drop-in guest.
Activities include slides, climbers, play-dough, a ball pit, plus bubbles and a parachute during circle time. Upon walking into the Kindergym room, you feel like you’re in a child’s utopia!
Crawling babies will find plenty of soft mats and tunnels to explore and a variety of ride-on toys to test drive.
Find out more about the Kindergym programs with Jeni at the Temple Beth Abraham website including the rates and schedule. As of this writing, class fees vary.
Temple Beth Abraham is located at 327 MacArthur Blvd near Lake Merritt. Free parking is available onsite (although it can get full quickly so arrive early).
