We are very excited to announce the launch of our first Movers and Shakers class in Wanstead!

It takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10–10.30am at:

Wanstead United Reformed Church
Nightingale Lane
London E11 2HD

The class will be taught by the marvellous Holly Elmes.

For now, Erica will be administering the class from her Barnet and Southgate office. However, demand in the area is high, and we plan to start classes in Woodford, Walthamstow and the surrounding area. When several classes are up and running, we will open a separate branch.

Booking for Movers and Shakers is essential. Classes fill up quickly, so don’t hesitate to reserve your child a place using our online booking system. For more information about this class or anything related to Movers and Shakers, please contact us.

At Movers and Shakers we run three different types of group. You might be wondering which is the right group for your child.

• BABY GROUPS
  There may be babies as young as 2 or 3 months at these classes. Carers should feel safe lying babies on the floor under the parachute without worrying that they are going to be trampled. If older children come to these classes, then their parents need to be vigilant and step in if necessary.
• TODDLER GROUPS
  There may be children as old as 3 years at these classes. They will want to dance and move around. If babies come to this class, then they should be kept safe on their grown-up’s lap.
• MIXED AGE GROUPS
  We run these groups in venues where we can have only one session per week, or in new venues where we are building numbers and don’t have enough customers to run two separate groups. These groups are also convenient for parents who have two or more children of different ages. At these classes we ask all grown-ups to be sensitive to the needs of others around them. It’s a good idea for walking children to take their shoes off in case they accidentally step on another child’s fingers.

We define the age groups as ‘baby’ or ‘toddler’ rather than prescribing particular ages. This is because every child is different. Let’s take two examples:

• Amy is 11 months old. She is beginning to walk but prefers to crawl at super speed across the room. She is robust and inquisitive and wants to explore the space and investigate the other children. She would probably be happier in a toddler or mixed-age group. She’ll learn a lot from watching the older children as well, and Amy’s dad might feel anxious if she were zooming around a room with lots of young babies laying on the floor!
• Bethmi is also 11 months old. She is happier sitting with her mum and watching everything going on around her. She can shuffle on her bottom and is starting to move further away from her mum during sessions as her confidence grows. Bethmi might be happier in a baby class or a quieter mixed-age class. She might feel overwhelmed in a room full of boisterous toddlers.

Of course the best thing about Movers and Shakers is that you can try a few different classes to see which one works best for you, as we don’t make you sign up for a whole term at one venue. So if you’re still not sure which class is right for your child, try one out and see if it works for you.

If you have any ideas about ways in which we can improve the classes offered to children of different ages then please comment below!

For any of you who say to yourselves:

“What’s the point of this booking system? Surely it’s unnecessary? If you turn up, can’t the teacher just squeeze you in?”

…here are seven compelling reasons why you should ALWAYS book a place at your favourite Movers and Shakers session and NEVER just turn up on the off chance:

• You are guaranteed a place in the class.
• It’s really easy.
• If a class gets cancelled for any reason, we can get in touch with you to let you know.
• If you turn up and the class is full, then we really will have to turn you away, and that makes you and us sad.
• You can still cancel your place, even at the last minute.
• It really helps us to manage the class if we know how many people to expect.
• Occasionally we need to get in touch with everyone who has attended a class – for example, if someone comes down with chicken pox after the session or if there is an item of lost property that we want to return. If you’ve booked your place, then we’ll be able to contact you easily.