I remember thinking before kids, why do parents sign their kids up for all these courses? Why are they so popular?
After becoming a parent and especially once I had a toddler and newborn, I understood! These courses were special, they were time away from the baby for the older sibling to enjoy.
When my little one turned 2, I looked up extracurricular activities that were available for that age group. Everything I found was with parent participation.
When she turned 3, some of the classes available she could do on her own!
For the classes that still needed a parent at 3, I attended with the baby in a carrier. I did ask the instructor if it was OK before I sat in the class of course. They were usually ok with it and even gave my child extra help if I was occupied with the baby.
Extracurricular Activities are great way to let kids try different activities and see which ones they enjoy! Since they are kids courses, they are often only 45-50min, so location is important for us. We don't want to have to travel 45min to attend a short 45min class. Instead, I try to see what's around the neighbourhood that the kids and I could walk to.
In Gothenburg, Sweden, we have tried the following:
I've also found a few courses at
Medborgsskolan but did not get a chance to try them.
Dansforum
Dansforum has moved locations since we last took a course and are now located across the water at Frihamnen. My daughter enjoyed the kids dance course here! They even had a performance for all the parents at the end of the semester. The younger kids were also included in this which made it really special!
Dansforum is very popular so sign up early or you will need to be put on the waitlist.
BeSporty
BeSporty offers kids courses all over Sweden. From sports, gym, dance and more. My 5 year old has been enjoying the "gym" class since she was 3. If you have previously been signed up for a course, they reserve a spot for you the following semester and a slightly discounted price.
We really appreciated that they stopped classes during the Pandemic in 2020 because it wasn't safe to hold indoor classes. They also arranged for those who missed those classes to take make up lessons when they re-started (when covid cases were down).
Ivrakurser
Ivrakurser moved into our neighborhood recently, so it was a great place to try some classes.
The 5 year old enjoyed a dance class there. They also offer family yoga and for older kids "Friday hangout time". The waiting area in the building gets very crowded since it is a small space. If your kids miss a class, you may be able to get a 'makeup' class depending on whether there are any free spaces in other classes.
Starz Soccer
This course was something my daughter tried at 3 years old. I remember bringing the newborn along and having to still encourage the 3 year old to participate. It was a high energy course(lots of running, and a great way to get their energy out) but the course took place after daycare. This meant that the 3 year old often fell asleep on the way home...which made her actual bedtime much much later.
It was a fun course that took place in the gym of an elementary school. There were at least 2 teachers every session.
MiniYogiGBG
MiniYogiGBG has previously offered Family yoga classes. We enjoyed this a few times but it was a bus ride away, so not very convenient for us unfortunately. I also took Baby and Mama yoga classes with the MiniYogiGBG founder and Yoga instructor Maëva Begon and I really enjoyed it! Check out my past blog post about Mama and Baby yoga here.
Unfortunately, MiniyogiGBG stopped classes during the Pandemic and have not been holding any classes recently but hopefully they will start up again in the future!
However there are some Fairytale Yoga sessions or "Sagoyoga" offered at libraries and museums around the city. Check out the
upcoming dates here.
Hope this helps those looking for some courses for their kids in Gothenburg, Sweden! Good luck finding some courses to try for your little ones. Remember, don't forget your snacks (especially since kids get hungry after a lot of activity)!
