By: Jessie Sterr
When we moved down to St George for medical school I was so excited!! There is so much to do here: so many parks, splash pads, etc. around town and I couldn’t wait to do all of these fun things with my kiddos! But I also wanted to get them involved in extracurricular activities, even though they were, and still are, little. I knew that it was time to get them involved in various activities and sports and see what they were interested in so they could learn and grow in those areas from a young age. When I began looking online it was hard to find just what I was looking for and I spent HOURS searching. So I thought, “I need to make a resource for other med school SOs to make this process easier!” So hopefully this helps you out or at least steers you in the right direction!
This article is written with my kids ages in mind, 6 years old and younger, but a lot of the resources have options for older kids if that’s the stage of life you’re in. This article is not all inclusive, I’m sure there are a LOT of other options in the St George Area, and I can’t list off every single dance studio. These are many things that we’ve tried and/or heard great things about!! So good luck finding the right extracurricular activity for your child, hopefully this will help narrow down your searching!!
Dance
We’ve only done summer camps here, but had a really positive experience. This company offers classes in beginning through advanced levels. Available styles of study include: ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, pointe, tap, and acro/tumbling.
Ages: 3+ years
Prices: $45+ per month + $35 annual fee
This Studio offers jazz, ballet, hip hop, musical theater, various toddler classes, and newly added: tumbling! They also offer preschool classes.
Ages: 2+ years old
Prices: $40+ per month + $30 annual fee + costume fees
Tumbling/Gymnastics
We have LOVED our experience at Barefoot!! They have gymnastics, Ninja, as well as parent and tot tumbling classes. They also have a Montessori preschool that I’ve heard great things about and the classrooms are incredible.
Ages: Parent & Tot: 18 months - 3 years, Gymnastics and Ninja: 3+ years
Prices: $45+ per month + $30 annual fee
Not only do they teach dance, but they have tumbling classes as well. This is done in their dance rooms, so a very different feel from Barefoot, but it may suit your family well depending on what you’re looking for!
Ages: 3+ years
Prices: $45+ per month + $35 annual fee
With classes designed to help your child become a champion and progress at their own pace, Champion offers gymnastics and tumbling classes at the preschool level and beyond!
Ages: 2-17
Prices: $50+ per month + $25 annual fee
I haven’t heard the best reviews for tumbling here, but it may be a great place to start and see if your child is interested before you pay more money somewhere else!!
Ages: 3-8 years
Prices: $32+ per session
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Musical Theatre
We have really enjoyed our time at Broadway Bound. Their mission is to provide musical theatre and dance experience to children and teens at a low cost. Though we’ve loved the introduction to performing, you definitely get what you pay for in that it isn’t a high grade experience, but it is perfect for young children and very family oriented. We love the community at Broadway Bound and plan to stick around.
Ages: 4+ years
Prices: $10+ per class (making it about $40+ per month)
This is your very high class version of musical theatre where they strive to prepare their students to one day be on Broadway and that has definitely been the case!! We do not have first hand experience here but have heard nothing but great things from this prestigious company.
Ages: 2-18 years
Prices: $36+ per month + $40 annual fee
Sports
I believe the best way to get your children involved in sports at a young age is through the city’s youth sports. There are many sports to choose from including but not limited to: soccer, softball/baseball, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. We have done both soccer and tennis through St George City and have had a positive experience! Links for easy access are listed below
Ages for sports vary depending on the sport, starting at 3 years old.
Prices: $35+ per session
Swim Lessons
There is a lot of variety when it comes to swim lessons, from private to group. Here are the venues most med school families go through for swim lessons.
Washington City Community Center
This is where we have done swim lessons the last 2 summers and have really enjoyed our experience here! The staff works well with children and teaches the vital skills they need to be in the water. Parent and tot classes are available and a wonderful intro to swimming for your little ones.
Ages: Parent & tot: 6 months - 3 years group lessons: 3+ years
Prices: $35+ per session
Sand Hollow Aquatic Center (the SHAC)
While I have no first hand experience with swimming lessons here, we do love this aquatic center. I would imagine lessons are similar here as to the Washington Community Center and would be a lot more convenient for those living in Ivins or Santa Clara
Ages: Parent & tot: 6 months - 3 years group lessons: 3+ years
Prices: $35+ per session
Summer time
Library’s Summer Reading Program: every year the library has a fun reading challenge and activities to go along with it, click here when it’s closer to summer time and learn more about that year’s program!
Summer camps: most of the sites listed above also have summer camp options! Click on the links below to find the details at each site
Utilize the Community Center
Typically using community centers for sports and activities is cheaper, so check out the one nearest you and see what else they have available that might be a good fit for your kiddos!
St George Recreation Center (I will warn you that their website is sometimes super slow)
I truly do hope that you find something for your kiddos to be involved in. It may take testing out a few different activities to see what they enjoy, but what a fun stage of life to see them learn and grow and try new things! Best of luck with your search!!
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