Gymboree Play & Music

My son attends the music program level 2 here. I have a master of music degree and studied music education. I highly recommend the music curriculum at Gymboree. Firstly, the Los Gatos location has a nice sunny room for the music class. The ambiance is very important in that a child must feel comfortable in his/​her surrounding to feel safe the explore. I felt that their music room was ideal in that it’s a bright room with not much distraction. Secondly, the instructor is very well trained in music, and in the curriculum, singing, musical instrument exploration, and movement/​dance are incorporated. The lessons usually revolve around a theme that is changed every three weeks. My child at first was not sure about music class. He refused to participate and kept outside the circle. However, even then the teacher did not make a big deal about his lack of interest, because she knew that in time he would become more comfortable with the class overall. We have attended five sessions so far and my son shows increased interest in the class every week. He is now more confident in exploring music and I’m happy that he was able to do so in a safe environment. We have attempted to attend other music classes at different music school locations, but it was clear to me that Gymboree music was the best fit for him. Trust your gut when choosing a music class. If you feel comfortable, most likely so does your child.

I actually really like the music class that my 17 month old attends. Helene is a great teacher too. But I was really disappointed today. There was an unexpected incident at my 4 year old son’s preschool and consequently, it closed. With no time to organize care for him, I brought him along with me to the class. I offered to use my daughter’s make up class to ‘pay’ for him to participate. The woman on the desk was rude and said ‘he can’t join the class’. So I asked if he could just sit in the room — I have an Iphone that he’s quite happy to play with. Again, she said ‘no’. She told me that he could wait in the foyer instead. She must be crazy if she thinks I would leave my 4 year old in the foyer alone where people are coming in and out constantly. He’s not 12! He might not be there by the time the class finished. I thought that places like this were supposed to help families. I understand that I wouldn’t be able to bring him each week, but it was a one-​off emergency and now my daughter has also missed her class. They say that you can make up classes at another time but let’s be honest, with three kids it’s hard enough for me to schedule that one class. So that’s money down the drain. I really don’t understand why having him sit in the corner would have made a difference to the class. There is a bench in the room that grandparents often sit on and watch their grandkids play with their parents. So why is it different to bring another child in an urgent situation. Thanks for making my day just a little bit more difficult.

Love this place. The play structures are so well suited for little kids, so my 1 year old has way more fun exploring here than at the park. He can stretch, learn and challenge himself physically much more. Rose is amazing, and all the staff have been wonderful.
It is not cheap, but you really have to make the most of it. The Open Gym times are great, and I’m surprised so few kids go. It’s especially great during winter when it’s too dark to play outside.

I really like the concept and environment but will give this review one star after my experience with Gabriella. Seems like after reading these reviews I’m not the only one that has had a really bad experience. She makes so many outright mean snide remarks to the kids! You can tell she doesn’t really love kids at all and she is very physically rough with them (picking them up, etc). I definitely would not bring my child back to a class that involved her. She is at best passive aggressive and at worse just down right mean! Who would ever want to expose their little one to that!

My son has been going to Gymboree play class for about a year and loved every minute of it. Teacher Rose and Kyra have been great for him. During his time at Gymboree he gained so much confidence in his physical abilities grew by leaps and bonds. Mykie was also encouraged our son to go to the transition class to get ready for preschool and that worked out beautifully. The entire experience at Gymboree was first rate! I would highly recommend it.

We’ve been going for 5 – 6 months now and my baby loves it! My husband and I are religious about going and sing the songs like all.the.time!
We started in Level 1 and now in Level 2 — the exercises really helped with tummy time and help to crawl and now help with walking! Also flex scheduling as we can only attend on weekends. Well worth the time and effort!

I’ve been going to Gymboree with my daughter since she was 18 month. We started with the play and learn class, she loved it. My daughter was very scared at first but teacher Rose was really good at making her feel comfortable. We also did the music class, very well organized and teacher Gabriella is excellent. So we decided to do my daughter’s 3^rd birthday party there. It was amazing! Teacher Maura was wonderful, she paid attention to what the kids wanted to do, they had some free play, structure games, pretend time with costumes, dancing time and bubbles. She was particularly attentive to my daughter. Kept a fun energy and vibe. All the kids had a lot of fun. They helped with the food, everything was easy, I didn’t have to clean up afterwards. I would highly recommended, it was easy for the parents and fun for the kids!

Finally since the remodel I can give this place a 5 star review. The facilities are very nice now. Perfect location, easily reachable with tons of parking. My 2 year old daughter totally enjoys the classes but also open play time with all the play structures and equipment’s they have. Perfect place for a toddler to burn off some energy.

Used to be a different place. Kid did not like the exercise and teachers were busy with others. Priced high and difficult to sign off, beware. Poor deal for your kids and your money.

Very clean, nicely appointed Gymboree. I especially want to compliment Maura for the birthday party we had here for our 2 year old. She was a great teacher and kept a fun energy and vibe. Our toddler loves Gymboree classes, so the party was a perfect fit. A great mix of free play as well as structured games and songs. The kids had a blast, even the 4 and 5 year olds. The area for food and cake has two children’s tables and a sink. The servers already had our pizza and chicken tenders set up and they did a great job cutting the cake and getting it out quickly. It was a two hour party and everything was seamless. Highly recommend for bday parties, especially if your little one is already a Gymboree fan. The favors are nice too; they include a small bottle of the awesome bubble solution.

My 19^th month old son and I have been enjoying Gymboree for months now; this is a wonderful place! I love how the play structures rotate every 2 weeks; my son never gets bored. He loves coming here and will practically run out of the car when he realizes where we are. We have teacher Maura for play class and she’s wonderful with the kids. My son dances to the songs at home and imitates what she does in class. The open gym times are great too, especially when the weather isn’t cooperating. My son is beat when we get home too– the kids get a lot of exercise. Highly recommend!

I enjoy this place a lot… As dies the little one! I’ve been pleased with the two teachers we’ve had — Dawn and Diane. They r high energy, experienced gals, who take pride in their work. And good singers!!! I like this place bc they’re very flexible. U can try as many classes as u like and u can switch it around. And they’re very flexible on makeups. They did a good job communicating move to temp space for a mth for their remodel. Looking forward to new space. Temp one is just fine.

Love Gymboree! Love Gabriela, she is our teacher for music and just can’t beleive the other review that mentions she grabbed a kid and made the other one fall, she is a mother of 3 and a great teacher. Love them all. I have a 4 year old and 1.5 year old. We are here almost every week for almost 3 years for classes and open play. I love this place and recommend it for sure.

Great place to go with little kids. My little one have learned so much from them. I love the teacher Dawn, she is very energetic and pleasant. But all the other teachers are good too, even after quitting Gymmboree I went back few times and they all recognized me and my son by our names, they are very nice! I love Los Altos Gymboree.

We had my son’s 2^nd birthday party here earlier this month. Having never taken a class before, I wasn’t sure what to expect… but OMG all of the kids had SUCH A BLAST. It seriously exceeded my hopes and expectations. Gabriela did an AMAZING job. She is so awesome!!! Is super great with the kids, wonderful energy. Just super super super. All of the toys/​slides/​etc are age appropriate and Gabriela found a way to keep all the kids engaged and laughing and having a wonderful time!
Just wanted to write a quick note to say how amazing it was and what a blast we had. Can’t wait to come back.
Thanks again!

Gymboree Play and Music has been around for more than 30 years. They know what they are doing. The lesson plans are innovative and carefully structured around the age of the children. My son started Gymboree when he was nine and a half months old. We enrolled him in music I and since then he has moved on to music II and music III. I love their music lesson plans! Every couple of weeks they have different music themes– Latin, African, Hawaiian and novelty lesson plans too like Queen, the Beatles, Divas, etc. The children are exposed to a wide range of musical instruments and sounds in these classes. I believe my son’s love for music stems from the foundation he has received at this place.
I am grateful to my son’s two teachers — Helene and Gabriela for the consistent efforts they put into each class.
We celebrated my son’s second birthday here and I really think they did a great job.
I have also tried the arts and sports classes here and I like them too. The classes are tailored towards the development of specific skills and I would recommend parents to avail of their free trial classes to see what they are all about.

At first, I really didn’t want to take my baby to Gymboree because I didn’t understand why I had to pay to find a place for my baby to play with other kids when I can get a group together at the park. I definitely was not interested before he could crawl.
The moment he started crawling, I decided to join my friends who were already here and sample a free class. My baby boy loooooooved it! And I also really enjoyed that it was a clean and safe place for him to roam and climb around, practicing his crawling and standing. It wasn’t like at home where I had to tell him don’t touch this or come back here!
The sparkling gem at this place is Dawn. I have met a couple of other good instructors here but Dawn is really my favorite. You can tell how much she loves babies and enjoys her job. She is always smiley and the BEST bubble blower. Some instructors can’t get the room filled with tiny bubbles the way she can. She’s definitely not stingy! I am going to try to go to her level 3 class now that my baby is older.

My daughter really enjoys the play and learn class. I compared the Gymboree programs to The Little Gym and the pro of the Gymboree class is the flexibility. If you miss a class, it’s so easy to make up because they pretty much have a class for each level every day. Also you can attend the music class if you miss your play and learn. There is also open gym.
The cons are that it’s not cheap, netting out to about $ 15 per 45 minute class and the format of the class for each level doesn’t change week to week so I felt that after 6 months of staying in the same level, my daughter was bored of the format.

re: Birthday Party and «teacher» Gabriella.
Actually, in our opinion it is over priced. But it gets worse…
They started the party late. Gabriella, the teacher, went through the «activities» like a list. She was NOT pleasant to the parents or children. Maybe she was having a bad day — and that I can excuse.
HOWEVER, she physically grabbed my child by the arm and pulled her off of the see-​saw (teeter totter). The other child fell off. Both children were upset. Do NOT physically grab and pull a child —- interact with the parent who is RIGHT there instead of hurting 2 children because you are in a hurry.
She did THAT because she was in a big hurry to get everyone OUT of the party quickly. Like she could barely stand to be there. The other «teacher» didn’t do much. It was one of the worst childrens birthday parties we have ever attended. Rude. Not fun. My husband was furious.

I’m so bummed that the Gymboree chapter of my mommyhood is now closed. I started both of my children at Gymboree as infants. Although I’m not clinically trained in infant cognitive whatever development, I’m convinced that both of my kids walked early and leaped in the natural athleticism because of their early exposure at Gymboree. We still stop by whenever we’re in the Rancho Shopping Center to say hello to Diane, Stephanie and any other friends hanging around.
Supportive, fun and imaginative, this was always a great place to meet new friends, catch up with old ones and have fun exploring.