Parents who have a school-aged child as well as a preschooler or toddler can have an adjustment to make when the older children go back to school. Younger children often miss the companionship of their older siblings. It's a good time to do things with preschoolers that they will especially enjoy. Atlanta offers a wide variety of programs designed for the preschool set. The activities are focused on children who are five or under, so it's a good time to try out a class without the older sibling.
Here are some Atlanta activities that are just for preschoolers or toddlers.
Library or Bookstore Story Times
Check your local library for details - most of them have multiple times per week.
Barnes & Noble and independent book stores also have story times. Check with your local store for times.
Art Classes
Farmhouse in the City in Roswell has Play and Paint art classes at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is $12 per child and includes face painting, dress up, an art project, bracelet-making, and animal encounters.
Purple Hippo Art Studio in Dunwoody has a series of Mommy and Me classes for eight weeks from late August through mid-October. Classes for ages 2-4 are either on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 10:00-10:45 and cost $165 for the entire session.
Museums
The Southern Locomotive Museum has Mommy and Me classes at 10:00 a.m. on Thursdays for ages 3-5, free with museum admission.
The High Museum of Art has Toddler Thursdays for ages 2-5 from 11:00-3:00, free with museum admission.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden has story time in the garden on Wednesdays at 10:30, free with museum admission.
Zoo Atlanta offers Mommy and Me classes for ages 2-3 from 10:30-11:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (three-week series) or Thursdays and Saturdays (drop-in single sessions). The series is $48 for members and $60 for non-members for each adult/child pair, while the drop-in sessions are $18 for members and $24 for non-members for each pair.
Cultural
The Atlanta History Center has Magic Mondays one Monday per month. The program is for kids ages 18 months - 5 years from 10:00-1:00. The cost is $5.50 for children and $6.50 for adults.
The Center for Puppetry Arts has puppet shows at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Regular price is $16.50, which includes the museum and puppet-making following the performance (highly recommended!). Besides, you are right down the street from the Varsity for lunch!
Imagine It! Children's Museum is recommended for kids 8 and under, so now might be a good time to visit if you have older kids. There are lots of ways to save money on your admission to Imagine It!
Nature
Cagle's Dairy has dairy tours for ages 3 and up on Tuesdays-Fridays. Reservations are required. The cost is $7.00 per person.
Autrey Mill Nature Preserve has a couple of preschool programs for ages 3-5 to choose from. Two Mondays per month at 10:30, drop in for a nature hike and animal feeding. Two Thursday per month at 10:30, register for a nature story time and craft. The cost for either program is $3.00 for members and $5.00 for non-members (adults are free).
Chattahoochee Nature Center offers monthly PeeWee Naturalist classes. The classes meet once a month for three months, and the cost for all three months is $50 for non-members and $40 for members. Adults are required and free.