Gymboree Play & Music

We had a fantastic experience here. Started gym classes @ 18 months and continued until we started preschool a year later. The two most important things to me in looking at these kinds of places– cleanliness and staff. They hit the mark on both. Always clean (I was bracing myself for a big increase in illness but luckily they wipe down so often that it helped avoid that issue) and the staff was awesome– super friendly, warm, engaging and genuinely interested in getting to know not just the kid taking the class, but the whole family. Their makeup policy is extremely flexible which is fantastic. One of the few area classes that lets you make up class whenever you want and doesn’t limit the number you make up. They also have lots of extra open gyms when it’s really hot or cold, so the value is even better than I expected. All the teachers were great, but we especially loved Mary.

We signed up for Gymboree in November 2015. We have attended Music 1, Play & Learn 3, and Family Music classes at both the Alexandria and Burke locations. The music classes we have participated in have been mostly taught by Miss Megan and the play classes have been taught by Miss Sam. Both of these women are wonderful — they are energetic and great with the kids! Also, the front office staff at the Alexandria location is wonderful — they take the time to get to know you, your child’s name, and they truly care about making your time at Gymboree enjoyable. We’ve *really* appreciated the generous make-​up policy, especially as our little one’s nap schedule recently changed, we were out of town for the holidays, and there were also class cancellations due to the winter weather. It’s nice to know we can use up the prepaid classes. We also take advantage of the open gym, especially since we live in a small place and our little one enjoys running around playing in a carefree manner. Some other reviewers noted that your child may get sick more often but I haven’t seen an increase yet (fingers crossed — obviously, that varies from child to child). I notice that the staff does a great job of cleaning the instruments /​play items /​mats /​slides /​etc. and I also double (sometimes triple) disinfect our child’s hands and my hands after class (I should invest in stock for a wipes company!). All in all, we’re very happy with our enrollment at Gymboree.

My son is 13 months and we LOVE this Gymboree location. After having tried two others, one in DC and one in Illinois, this has definitely been my favorite. It’s never too crowded and the the staff are fantastic– fun and engaging without micromanaging your time with baby. They remember your names and are always happy to accommodate, especially Nini at the front desk. Our music teacher is a percussionist who teaches high school band when she isn’t at Gymboree and even has a background in child development! Wilma, the owner, who also owns the 2 other NOVA locations, runs great promotions. And as icing on the cake, they’re very responsive via email. Two thumbs way up.

My son LOVES gymboree! Thanks Ms. Grace for being an my son’s first, amazing teacher !

We love Sam. She is a very energetic and engaging teacher. She is the main reason why we attend Gymboree. My 18 month girl loves to play with all the play areas, which they change every two weeks. The place is clean and well maintained.

I absolutely love this Gymboree. I started bringing my daughter when she was 4 months old (she is now 15 months) and we started out in Ms. Sam’s class and it was fantastic. The classes were always fun and my daughter loves going to her weekly class. The staff is very friendly. Scheduling make up classes is a breeze and the staff always keeps very good track, so its one less thing for me to think about during the week. All of the teachers are great, they are all very energetic and really love the kids. The classes are very well done and they have done a great job of helping my daughter learn to crawl, walk, sing, dance and clap. I can not say enough great things about this Gymboree, my daughter gets excited as soon as we pull into the parking lot.
–Andrea R.

Staff and classes are fun. I’m only giving 4 stars because I feel the classes could benefit from a 2^nd staff member to engage the students while the other set up the next activity. We often lose interest during transitions. Gym classes need a little «spunk» the ending becomes soo mundane.

I will be slightly critical in my critique of this Gymboree, although I should note that I prefer it to the Burke location. My daughter attended this gym for several months, and although it was generally fun, I did not feel it was well worth about $ 80/​month.
So here’s the good: It is mostly clean, and has several activity stations for little ones; You can make-​up missed classes (and you will be missing a lot of them the younger your kid is); The play class include some nice activities (toward the end, with the parachute ride and the bubbles and the singing); It is not very crowded, very often
And here is the not-​so-​good: It is all about the teacher, and if the teacher is feeling it that day. Our teacher was good most days (a couple of times she didn’t seem into it at all, maybe she was sick, or just not in the mood… it made a whole lot of difference –in a bad way). If you try a free class, and you do like the teacher, make sure she or he will be the one who will run the class in the time/​day you will sign up for. I made the mistake to initially sign up for a Burke class, although I had tried the Alexandria free class, because I had thought that all the teachers were at the same level. I ended up changing the schedule after two weeks. Not all teachers are as good. I also tried the Music class they offer –tried it in both locations. The first time the teacher was in training and she sucked. I apologize for using this term, as I understand it may be offensive. I am a teacher too, and I know it is not as easy as it seems, and that a lot of effort goes into preparing a class. But she was SO bad. She didn’t know any of the songs, she didn’t remember the activities, her voice was very low etc. The second time I tried the class in the Alexandria location the teacher was much better, and the class was OK, but I just did not feel we were getting anything out of it, especially since we sing and dance at home. Seriously, if you are thinking about a music class for your baby/​toddler, look somewhere else.
Bottom line: I think this may be a good idea for those who don’t take their kids to daycare or pre-​school. If you do, maybe consider a different entertainment option. This is too expensive for what it ultimately offers. But if money is not an issue, do sign up: it is a good place to go when the whether is bad, and your kid will like running around and climbing all over.
PS. Your kid will get sick more frequently too

We love Gymboree! My 1 and a half year old son always likes coming to open play, as well as the classes. The over-​the-​top excitement from the teacher is really awesome for my little guy. LOVE everything about this place: friendly staff, CLEAN gym, great kid-​friendly music :) Price is a little high, but they do offer a military discount (thank you!).

I took my son here for a few years and we both really enjoyed it! First of all, the place is always clean and the staff is constantly sanitizing everything the children use. Also, all of the staff including the teachers and front desk are always friendly and they really make you feel welcome. They take the time to greet the adults and children by name the minute you walk in the door! Another great thing is they group the children by age and how advanced they are developmentally. My son really benefited physically, socially, and cognitively. The only reason we stopped bringing him is because he outgrew it, he is now 6 ½ and they only go to age 5. But we sure do miss our Gymboree days!

Wonderful Gymboree location! My son comes here for art and music class. All the instructors are great and really caring. The facility is always clean and the front desk staff is so nice.
If you are looking for a great place for classes for a toddler — this is it!

So this Gymboree is just «OK» in my opinion.
Some of the classes are completely out of control which makes the experience anxiety ridden for the kids.
Some of the classes are wonderful.

I love taking my 2 year old daughter here! The teachers are nice and very patient. I like how they don’t force the kids to sit at circle time because my daughter refuses to sit, lol!

This place is amazing. I have been bringing my son here since he was 4 weeks old and he is now almost 14 months old. We have been with Ms. Mary since the beginning and we LOVE HER. She is great with the kids (and the parents!) We are at the point now that as we walk up my son get’s all excited and can’t wait to run inside and play.
They have a terrific make up policy — we missed many classes in the summer and we able to make them up whenever we wanted. All the staff members there are extremely nice and we love going every week!

I love this place.
My daughter goes to two classes here; School Skills and Sports. She loves her teachers Ms. Mary and Ms. Casey. Both of them are extremely good with kids… and trust me there are some kids that only a mother could love. Ms. Casey teaches the Sports class and regardless of the kids acting out she can remain calm for the other kids. They both encourage participation and Ms. Casey speaks Spanish for those kids that would need it or parents that prefer it. As for the school skills class… it is a drop off class that is 1.5 hours long. My daughter loves to get away from me for a little while and do her own thing with her friends. It has helped her social skills and made her more confident.
My son is only 9 months old but he loves going to class. The only problem is that it is held on Saturdays at 1:20 pm and generally conflicts with his nap time. Luckily they have a VERY generous make-​up schedule and hopefully his nap patterns change soon so he can start going again. Most parents that take their kids are first timers and I find that at times it is a little redundant for me a «second time mom.» Either way it is great for my son.
We have tried almost every class possible and I love all the structure that is provided. The staff is amazing and becomes like a second family to the kids. I have never been more at ease leaving my kids with people who I find to be more competent than a lot of daycares. =)