Trial Classes Merry-Go-Round

I have been running around town with Luke like a mad woman. We were doing our rounds on trial classes of different early childhood programs. My compulsive hunt was inspired by the countdown to Luke staring kindergarten - which is a little less than 3 months away (I know, 3 months seem like a long time, which make me look all the more compulsive).

We've tried music classes (at Kindermusik and Rhythm and Me), gym classes (Little Gym and JWT kids), and Wushu, a combination of self-defence martial arts and gym (at Chi-life studios). In the end, we settled with Centre Stage, a drama and speech studio for kids founded by two London-based professional actors. Reason? This one-and-a-half-hour program(as opposed to the other 45-minute/session classes) is the only one that captivated Luke's undivided attention all till the end. A good sign that it's a keeper.

What I like about Centre Stage most (apart from Luke's devoted interest) is that the program runs like a "mini" preschool routine, except that mom is present. It starts with a 15-minute freeplay, followed by a music and movement routine, then a craft and a speech sound mini-lesson. After a laid back break and snack time, the class closes with imaginative drama play and a soothing story time. I think attending a structured class like this will help Luke get used to being in a small group setting where he has to follow directives from the teacher. I used to think it takes parents of very little creativity to enroll their kids in these classes (why, I can do fingerpainting and sing kids' songs live on the piano in the comforts of my home), but I guess a lot of the value in these environments is socializing the child - one of those rite of passages involved in growing up. However, I have to say that Centre Stage's programs are very creative and efficient that I'm glad handing over the money to them to do the job for me.