Classes, Clubs & School Holiday Camps
I update the website on an ongoing basis. However, please note there may be schedule changes taking place that I haven’t been notified of. Therefore, should you see something that is no longer correct, please don’t hesitate to contact me on hello@nw8-mums.com.
Your GP surgery usually has lots of information about things to do, classes etc so it might be worth asking them or your health visitor. You can also check Happity for classes close to you.
Thank you. Karin x
Playgroups
Please note that many playgroups and regular activities often run according to school term times. Some don’t run school holiday classes or workshops whereas others do both.
- Little Locusts is a playgroup for pre-school children or crawling babies with their parent or carer, and they meet every Tuesday from 10.30-11.30 am in St John’s Wood Church located by the roundabout at the bottom of the High Street. People can drop in and out as suits, no need to be on time or stay the whole time. For more information, please call 020 7286 2089 or check the church website.
- The playgroup Little Lions in St Mark’s Church Hamilton Terrace takes place every Tuesday 10.00am – 11.30am. Playing, chatting, singing and refreshments for 0-3s and their carers. No need to book; just turn up to this friendly group on Tuesdays during term-time.
- Another firm playgroup favourite with NW8-mums is the one at The Church of Our Lady at the corner of St John’s Wood Road and Lisson Grove. The sessions run during term time only on Tuesday, Wednesday for soft play, and Thursday for music between 9.30-11.30 am. There is a nominal fee per child. Nannies/childminders are welcome. There are often craft activities and always singing and stories on Thursdays and outdoor play in the summer.
- St John’s Wood Baptist Church runs a toddler group on a Thursday morning between 9.15 – 10.50 am during term time. They have coffee, tea and pastries for the big people and snacks for the little ones. Most of the session is free play with a craft activity and ends with singing and a story from the Bible. There is a nominal cost per child. Should you have additional queries, please email pastor@sjwrbc.org or call 020 7289 5468.
- Ready Steady Go run ABC classes – Fun and educative sessions for babies (3 months to 18 months) with their parents and carers and Beginners classes – A gentle, lightly directed introduction to group activities for 15 months to 2.5 year olds.
Music
- Wigmore Hall, situated in Marylebone, is best known as one of the world’s most famous chamber music venues. However, they also run concerts from babies and up, to workshops and events for families including their incredibly popular series called Chamber Tots. Most of their child/family events sell out very fast, so act quickly. Even though something is sold out, it can well be worth turning up on the day to check with their box office for returns.
- North London Strings Club runs weekly music classes. They offer fun-filled and motivating tuition, developing children’s musicianship alongside their confidence, focus and social skills. Choose from violin, guitar, ukulele or cello. They offer instrument hire leaving the stresses of buying an instrument behind. Their 10-week-courses coincide with school term-times and offer children the chance to learn an instrument in a fun and rewarding environment. Lessons incorporate their carefully crafted curriculum, ensuring children develop a real understanding of music theory and performance. The end-of-term concert lets the children show off what they have achieved.
- Mini Mozart runs classes in various venues. These are all music classes featuring live instruments performed by professional musicians.
- The lovely and energetic Anita runs Caterpillar Music in NW London. My son used to love going to her classes.
- Hartbeeps multi-sensory classes in St Johns Wood for 0-2 years are popular with parents and babies in the group. Baby bells classes are for newborn to sitting babies and Baby Beeps classes are for sitting babies to toddlers.
- Latino Bambino was one of my son’s favourite classes. They also offer a baby-wearing exercise/dance class for new mums.
Venues – Indoor Classes
- b_together is a family club, community hub and nursery that opened its doors in July 2021 on St John’s Wood High Street. They run a number of classes, camps etc for children of all ages including teens.
- Jaegos House is a new type of family club and nursery that opened its doors in November 2022. Overlooking the canal in London’s Kensal Rise, Jaego’s House and the adjoining Kensal House Nursery, has everyone covered, from children to grown-ups.
- Curioser is a new family hub that opened in January 2023. Designed to ignite children’s self-discovery. With a comprehensive curriculum, parental support, and a flexible approach, they empower every child with out-of-the-box experiences designed to uncover their unique potential.
- Primrose Hill Community Association runs a number of events for children and families. They are located on 29 Hopkinson’s Place, Fitzroy Road, London NW1 8TN.
- Church Street Library runs classes for under 5s. Please check with them directly for their current schedule.
- Maida Vale Library runs classes for under 5s. Please check with them directly for their current schedule.
- St John’s Wood Library on Circus Road has a lot on weekly for children as well as half-term and school holiday activities. Pop in, email or call them to check their current schedule.
- Swiss Cottage Library also has a number of things on for children and families. Please check with them directly for their current schedule.
Ballet, Dance & Drama
- Regal Ballet – This is a lovely, warm and friendly ballet school founded by an NW8-mum that gets children inspired to dance and create. It is a gentle class and my daughter loved it.
- Rosy Thompson Academy of Dance (RATD) offers a whole array of classes from singing, drama, musical theatre to street jazz. Situated in Portland Place and Harley Street in Marylebone, this academy offers so much for children from the age of 3.
- Alyssia Fleur School of Dance offers Ballet, Tap and Drama classes for ages 2+ (including baby ballet and adult ballet) in our studios in Marylebone and St John’s Wood.
Sports – Venues & Clubs
There are many companies and venues that offer various types of sports and here are just a few.
The A Academy, runs term-time football classes as well as 1:1 and 2:1 sessions. The A Academy is run by PT, ex-football player and coach Alvaro Castano. His term time classes and camps, located in Paddington Rec, are hugely popular and filled with children of NW8-mums’ families. Their classes are very small, incredible teachers and they use their own methodology.
Meiji Martial Arts run the Meiji Mighty Children’s Program. Their Martial arts Instructors teach the children life lessons and skills that will help them in the real world. This is done through the children learning how to defend themselves from bullies, and how to introduce themselves politely to adults. It helps them improve their demeanour, and the ways they tackle obstacles and challenges.
Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre offers a range of sports for children, but it does change from time to time so best to check with them if there is something specific you are looking for.
Little Gym runs classes of different kinds from the O2 Centre as well as in other London locations.
Gymboree is another favourite with parents. They have different locations in London and our nearest one is situated in the O2 Centre.
Playball Kids is popular with parents and they have various locations in London.
Lords Cricket Ground runs cricket classes and camps. How amazing to learn how to play this game in the venue where it all started.
Language Groups
- French – Club Petit Pierrot has been going for a very long time and their classes are very popular. Please check their website for the nearest venue to you.
- French – La Jolie Ronde offers French playgroups from babies and up in different locations.
- German – The German YMCA in London runs classes for children. Check directly with them to see their current schedule.
- German –The German Saturday School in Hampstead offers classes from nursery age. Please contact them directly for more information.
- Spanish – La Jolie Ronde offers Spanish playgroups from babies and up. Check their website for current locations.
- Swedish – On Tuesday afternoons between 1-3 pm, the Swedish Church in Marylebone offers a stay and play group in the downstairs main hall.
- Swedish – There is the North London Swedish School in Marylebone on Saturday mornings, but it has a very long waitlist. If you are keen for your child to start, I suggest you register your child as early as you can. We had to wait for two years before we got a space.
- Mandarin & Cantonese – Ni Hao Pauletta runs Interactive and fun Cantonese and mandarin playgroup for babies & young children.
Arts, Craft & Writing
- Mini Picassos – I know this is not in St John’s Wood, but I have to mention Mini Picassos in Kensal Rise. Sarah who runs it puts on fantastic classes for children starting from 15 months (till teenagers). There are after school clubs, and she also offers adult classes. You can get there easily by car, by bus or overground from Finchley Road & Frognal and get off at Kensal Rise. Highly recommended!
- Chelsea Young Writers runs after-school and holiday creative writing courses and workshops for children aged 7-12 years led by award-winning children’s authors. With unique and inspiring outlines CYW aims to encourage and improve children’s creative writing skills, critical perceptions and imaginative faculties as a form of expression. They closely collaborate with primary schools predominantly from the private sector. Check directly with them for your nearest venue.
Science
- Little House of Science is a popular group and they run classes in various local venues. Check their website for your closest one.
- e2 Young Engineers it is all about learning through play. They offer holiday camps and weekly classes to children ages 5-11 where those attending will develop their ability to analyse engineering processes and build their knowledge of various engineering principles from physics and science. They learn about this while building a motorised model out of LEGO. Each child works with their own individual Young Engineers kit.
Soft Play
Yoga
- The Baby Yoga Company – Alice Morgan’s yoga sessions have been running for a long time now and are very popular.
Swimming
There are so many swimming companies. This list doesn’t cover them all, but should hopefully give you a head start.
Outdoor – Exercise & Classes
- The Hub in Regent’s Park offers a variety of mummy and baby friendly activities such as Parent and Pram. Please check directly with them for their current schedule.
- Buggy Fit – It is easy to get fit and meet other mums with Buggy Fit. The nearest places to do this are in Maida Vale and Primrose Hill. Please note that BuggyFit is run as a franchise so you might not have the same instructor even if different locations are close by.
School Holiday Camps & Courses
Many of the providers already mentioned in the above section also run camps. However, some companies only, focus on school holiday camps. Many camps do a mixture of many things, so in this section I have simply put them in A-Z rather than under different categories.
As often is the case, places for school holiday camps get snapped up quickly, so if you are interested in them, it might well be worth booking a space sooner rather than later. Please note that some companies that run regular term-time classes, don’t operate during school holidays. However, some of them may put on camps instead.
There are many more places and companies than these below of course, so this is by no means an exhaustive list. Please send an email to hello@nw8-mums.com if you have anything to recommend – I am always keen to hear of more.
- The A Academy is run by PT, football player and coach Alvaro Castano. His term time classes and camps, located in Paddington Rec, are hugely popular and filled with children of NW8-mums’ families. Their classes are very small, incredible teachers and they use their own methodology.
- b_together is a family club, community hub and nursery that opened its doors in July 2021 on St John’s Wood High Street. They run a number of classes, camps etc for children of all ages including teens.
- Camp Beaumont offers both summer camps as well as half-term ones.
- Chelsea Young Writers offers after-school and holiday creative writing courses and workshops for children aged 7 to 12 years, led by award-winning children’s authors. With unique and inspiring outlines CYW club aims to encourage and improve children’s creative writing skills, critical perceptions and imaginative faculties as a form of expression. They have been running children’s creative writing workshops for a number of years – mainly in Notting Hill, Kensington & Chelsea and Fulham areas. They closely collaborate with primary schools predominantly from the private sector.
- Creative Movements organise workshops for half-terms/holidays and they usually have an array of different classes from ages 2-8 years ranging from music, art, prop making and lots more.
- e2 Young Engineers it is all about learning through play. They offer holiday camps and weekly classes to children ages 5-11. The children will develop their ability to analyse engineering processes and build their knowledge of various engineering principles from physics and science. They learn about this while building a motorised model out of LEGO. Each child works with their own individual Young Engineers kit. They have various locations.
- Lords Cricket Ground runs holiday crickets camps. How amazing to learn how to play this game in the venue where it all started.
- Mini Picassos in Kensal Rise puts on fantastic art camps for children. You can there by driving, by bus and you can also go on the Overground from Finchley Road & Frognal and get off at Kensal Rise. Highly recommended.
- Highly acclaimed and fun children’s science holiday camps with Mother Nature Science. They run both term time classes and camps in a variety of locations.
- Regal Ballet – They offer school holiday camps in a lovely, warm and friendly environment that gets children inspired to dance and create.
- Not only do they run classes during term time, but they also run amazing half-term and long school holiday courses. Rosy Thompson Academy of Dance (RTAD), situated in Portland Place and Harley Street in Marylebone, is quite something and I highly recommend it to anyone whose child is interested in drama, dance and the like. My son loves their camps and my daughter got into dancing, drama and so on having started off doing their camps.
- St John’s Wood Library often puts on special events for the breaks, so it is worth checking with them. When I last looked it was not very easy finding specific information online, so the best thing is probably to call or email them, or pop in and ask.
- Swimming Rocks runs intensive swimming during half-terms and longer school breaks.
- Many museums including The London Zoo puts on special events for the half-term and summer holidays.