Activities for Growing Minds & Bodies
Children's Bookstores
The Bookies
About: The Bookies is an independent bookstore in Denver with a 35-year history. Today, The Bookies has grown to include a friendly, knowledgeable staff and books for virtually everyone’s taste and interests. With nearly 100,000 titles, you’re bound to find something you’ll love!
Address: 4315 E. Mississippi Ave Denver, CO 80246
Phone: 303-759-1117
Website: www.thebookies.com
Second Star to the Right
About: Second Start to the Right is a new and gently loved children’s and young adult bookstore. Owned and operated by former teachers, we pride ourselves on assisting customers with knowledgeable and unique book choices. Besides our wide selection of books, we also offer both math and reading tutoring through high school, writing classes, and author visits in addition to daily story time. We also offer parenting books as well as a selection of books in Spanish. In this digital world, we help keep children with their arms around books and ears listening to the magic of stories.
Address: 4353 Tennyson St Denver, CO 80212
Phone: 303-455-1527
Email: Secondstartotherightbooks@gmail.com
Website: www.secondstartotheright.com
Indoor Play Spaces
Apex Center
About: Apex Center is full of activities for the whole family. The kids will love the indoor water park and the free indoor playground, as well as the climbing wall and ice skating rink.
Address: 13150 W 72nd Ave, Arvada, CO 80005
Phone: 303-424-2739
Website: http://apexprd.org
Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
About: We work to open doors for our future leaders, innovators, and adventurers to explore, create and learn on their own terms. Our target ages are newborn through eight years old, but everyone can have a good time at the Museum! Our exhibits are hands-on, interactive and totally one-of-a-kind.
Address: 2121 Children’s Museum Drive Denver, CO 80211
Phone: 303-433-7444
Website: mychildsmuseum.org
Gymboree Play & Learn
About: Gymboree Play & Music has been fostering creativity and confidence in children ages 0-5 for over 40 years.
Our class curriculum is developed by our experienced child development program directors and incorporate a balanced whole-child approach with activities to support what your child is mastering right now and what he or she will aspire to later. Classes are designed in 6-month increments to meet a child’s unique interests and abilities. From birth to age 5, there’s always something special awaiting you and your child at Gymboree Play & Music.
Address: 5046 East Hampden Ave. Denver, CO 80222 United States
Phone: (303) 743-7529
Email: hcdenverco@gymboreeclasses.com
Jumpstreet Indoor Trampoline Park
About: Boasting over 20,000 square feet of wall to wall trampolines, trampoline dodge ball and other unique and fun activities, we are the perfect place to “Come Bounce Off Our Walls”!
Locations: Lakewood: 14500 W Colfax Ave. Lakewood, CO 80123
Greenwood Village: 7969 E. Arapahoe Rd. Greenwood Village, CO 80112
Littleton: 10081 W. Bowles Ave. Littleton, CO 80127
Phone: Lakewood: 303-590-1580; Greenwood Village: 303-586-5530; Littleton: 303-339-3030
Email: lakewood@gotjump.com; greenwood-village@gotjump.com; littleton@got-jump.com
Website: gotjump.com
Monkey Bizness
About: At Monkey Bizness, we provide an ideal setting that allows them to exercise by having fun. Our play area’s feature inflatable obstacle course, slides, bouncers, toddler and infant areas, jungle gyms, play structures and more.
Locations: Westminster, Parker, and Centennial
Website: monkeybizness.com
Bladium
About: Looking for something active and fun to do with your kids indoors? Bladium’s Inflatable Fun Zone is here to help your kids burn off energy, build balancing skills, and have tons of fun! This brand new, state of the art inflatable zone boasts more than eight castles! Kids ages 18 months to 12 years old have a blast running, jumping and sliding their way to fun.
Address: 2400 Central Park Blvd., Denver, CO, 80238
Phone: Phone: (303) 320-3033
Website: bladiumdenver.com
Email: DenverGM@bladium.com
Must-Visit Parks
Centennial Center Park
About: 11-acre city park with a kids’ water playground, nature areas & an amphitheater.
Location: 13050 E Peakview Ave, Centennial, CO 80111
Website: centennialco.gov
Phone: 303-325-8000
City Park
About: City Park is an urban park and neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. The park is 330 acres and is located in east-central Denver. The park contains the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Ferril and Duck Lakes, and a boathouse.
Address: 2001 Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80205
Website: www.denver.org/parks
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
About: Red Rocks Park and Ampitheatre offers a variety of recreation options for everyone – from drive-through sightseers, family picnickers, nature lovers, and outdoor exercise enthusiasts. Around you are 868 acres of deer, dinosaurs, pines and prairie, geological wonders and spectacular vistas.
Website: redrocksonline.com
Address: 18300 West Alameda Parkway Morrison, CO 80465
Phone: 720-865-2494
Washington Park
About: Washington Park has155 acre of pleasant grounds including two lakes and two flower gardens, one of which is a replica of George Washington’s gardens at Mount Vernon. The kids will love the playground and sandbox while you’ll love the interesting shopping and dining nearby on Old South Gaylord Street.
Address: S. Downing St. & E. Louisiana Ave., Denver, CO 80210
Website: www.denver.org/parks
Westlands Park
About: Westlands Park is an award-winning park with a playground, spray park, lake where you can feed the ducks, picnic area, athletic fields, and an inline hockey rink.
Address: 5701 South Quebec Street in Greenwood Village (near the intersection of Quebec and Orchard)
Mommy & Me or Daddy & Me Activities
In the earliest stages of life, kids are constantly responding to stimuli and learning about their environments. Many “Mommy and Me” classes take advantage of this curiosity, offering activities to help your child learn about their new surroundings. These classes are also fun for moms because they allow for quality time and bonding. In the Denver area, there is a wide variety of “Mommy and Me” classes in which you and your child can participate. With everything from swimming to music appreciation, you and your child can try a new activity every day.
Baby and Me Swim Classes at Ocean First Swim School and SafeSplash Swim School
Dance with Me at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Gymboree Play & Learn Music Classes
Music Together Classes at Twinkle Together
Rocky Mountain Aardvarks
The Swim School Of Denver
About: Swimming is an essential life skill, and getting your child started early is fun for both mom and baby. The Swim School of Denver offers a Baby and Me class for children aged six months to two years, accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or other caregiver. Lessons are 30 minutes long and focus on breath control, familiarity with water and other essential skills. With a 1:6 parent to student ratio, you and your child benefit from more hands-on instruction. Classes are $52 per month and are held weekly.
Address: 557 Milwaukee St., Denver, CO 80206
Phone: (303) 399-2877
Website: www.denverdivers.com
The Mama ‘Hood
About: The Mama ‘Hood provides a broad spectrum of classes, groups and workshops which are beneficial to brand new moms and others with new babies and toddlers. With training classes to help you adjust to life as a new mom to playgroups and even a “Mommy and Me” yoga class, The Mama ‘Hood is a great resource for all parents. The company was founded to offer support to new parents and creates a supportive environment for parents and children alike. Memberships and a la carte pricing options are available for classes and workshops and start at $14 for a drop in.
Address: 2902 Zuni St., Denver, CO 80211
Phone: (303) 643-5662
Website: www.themamahood.com
Swallow Hill Music
About: Start your child’s lifelong love of music with the Little Swallows classes at Swallow Hill Music. Classes are available for children aged six months to four years and teach kids the fundamentals of music with sing-a-longs, introduction to simple instruments and other activities. If your child takes a liking to the music or wants to move on to a specific instrument, the school offers other specialized children’s classes for ages 3-6 and over. Music education is a fun way to build your child’s brain development, and these classes are fun for parents and children alike. Classes are $115 for an eight-week session, with discounted rates for members.
Address: 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver, CO 80210
Phone: (303) 777-1003
Website: www.swallowhillmusic.org
Tales N Tunes
About: Another option for early music education, Tales N Tunes combines music education with storytelling. Founded by music educator Tonya Lemmons, Tales N Tunes has a variety of classes for children at varying age levels from six months to five years. Classes are tuition-based and start at $175 for a full session for one child. Tales N Tunes teaches children music and stories from all over the world, so your child will be introduced to many different cultural traditions while building language and movement skills.
Address: Children’s Music Academy, 3426 E. 12th Ave., Denver, CO 80206
Website: www.talesntunes.org
Belly Bliss
About: Belly Bliss offers pre and post-natal yoga classes and many other resources for expectant and new mothers. Its BYOBaby class allows moms a chance to exercise with their baby in a safe environment. These classes offer a bonding experience not only for mom and baby but other new moms as well. The studio is supportive and understanding of the needs of new moms, and if your child needs some attention during class, you can step aside and care for them without worrying about being disruptive. Other services at Belly Bliss include chiropractic, lactation consulting and others. Belly Bliss offers tiered memberships or drop-in classes, which start at $20.
Address: 300 Josephine St., Suite 10, Denver, CO 80206
Phone: (303) 399-1191
Website: www.bellybliss.org
Nurturing Pathways for Toddlers
About: For the toddler in your life, try this nurturing pathways class, designed for ages two to four years. This class will introduce your child to a variety of musical instruments and movement concepts. It will also provide some fun obstacle courses all designed to help your child’s development. There will be fun props and more with the overall goal of laying the foundation for your child to be ready for school. It is an hour-long class for listening skills, social skills, musicality, and expressive capabilities.
Address: Inside Out Creative Movement, 8985 E. Nichols Ave., Centennial, CO 80112
Phone: (303) 829-3730
Website: www.insideoutmove.com
Dardano’s School of Gymnastics
About: Get involved in a fun movement class with your child. This class is designed for children who are walking through three years old, and it has a minimal structure, which allows you and your child to enjoy exploring the gym and all the safe equipment together. Each week, the gym will be set up with a different gross motor circuit designed to help improve body awareness, visual motor control, social interactions, taking turns, balance and more. You’ll enjoy the use of bars, rings, trampoline, and beams, so there will be a lot of fun ways to enjoy this class together.
Address: 2250 Kearney St., Denver, CO 80207
Phone: (303) 355-0080
Website: www.dardanosgymnastics.com
Baby Power
About: At Baby Power, the class size is kept small, with a maximum of eight children per class, allowing each child/parent combination to get plenty of individualized attention from the instructor. The classes include a warm-up followed by mini-gymnastics and then movement and music classes with instruments. There are crafts plus show and tell for ages two and up. The class is designed for ages six months to four years and siblings are welcome. Plus, Baby Power even offers a free trial class.
Address: 7505 E. 35th Ave., Suite 330, Denver, CO 80238
Phone: (303) 377-8855
Website: www.babypower.com
Free Family Activities in Denver
Cherry Creek Shopping Center Dinosaur Gulch Play Area
Hammond’s Candies Factory Tour
Denver Art Museum (kids are free)
Denver Children’s Museum – free on Tuesdays
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Free Days Calendar: http://scfd.org/p/free-days-calendar.html
Denver Skate Park – 20th St. & Little Raven St.
Denver Skate Park is one of the largest and most renowned skate parks in the country – is filled with bowls for all levels of skating skill. Admission is free. Helmets are required.
Favorite Family Hikes
Children's Occupational Therapy
Honest Occupational Therapy
About: We provide education and hands-on classes for parents, caregivers, and educators in the areas of gross and fine motor skills, sensory motor development, feeding skills, and behavioral challenges.
Tip: The more you know about your child’s development, the more empowered your parenting will be.
Discount: A free 30-minute consultation
Phone: 720-593-8221
Email: jill@honestot.com
Website: www.honestot.com