Ah, January. It’s the time of year in Chicago when you might see sunlight past 5 p.m., get hopeful that perhaps the winter might be taking a turn, and then remember you won’t be truly warm again until mid-May.
The good news is that Chicago parents are nothing if not connoisseurs of indoor activities for our little ones. From play places and museums to music classes and craft spaces, we live our 6-month winter selves as semi-mole people, only to turn around and come back inside when things get too hot to exist in the summer. Of course this means we are constantly schlepping from place to place to place to get our fill of things to do outside the house.
This is where NY Kids Club comes in. This new model of kids’ enrichment classes is a one-stop shop for entertaining children in Lincoln Park. Instead of paying for a session of classes at a time, parents instead pay a monthly membership fee, which includes five open play sessions a month and a class of their choosing. When the class semester is over, parents can sign up for a different class, or continue with the same one they did in the previous semester. There are activities that cater to ages 2 months to 12 years old, including infant movement, art, music, gymnastics, sports, STEM, ballet and more. (The full class schedule for the Chicago location can be found here.)
The space itself is a well-lit, impeccably clean wonder zone for kiddos, with many rooms for different purposes. The gym is enormous and includes climbing equipment, a large trampoline and other equipment for more smile-inducing play. Best yet, it’s just four blocks off the Diversey Brown Line ‘L’ stop, so it’s not only right near Burnt City Brewing* but convenient to get to as well. So if you’re looking for an easier way to find classes and open plays all in one location, be sure to check out NY Kids Club.
Right now there are some early enrollment specials, such as half off the first month’s membership and unlimited open play sessions for a year, instead of the standard five per month. It’s almost enough to comfort you through the fact that we won’t see the sun again for another four months. Almost.
If you go:
2727 N Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
*The name might be New York Kids Club, but we’re still in Chicago, and in Chicago we always know where the nearest bar/brewery/restaurant/bowling alley is. This is also reason number 2,153 why I live in Chicago and not New York.
