Finding activities around the neighborhood to thrill, entertain, or educate kids can be a challenge. Most time-pressed parents would rather keep trips closer to home than drive all around San Diego for their children’s and teens’ activities.
We’ve compiled local options for your kids that range from sporty to creative to downright fun. Whether you need kids’ activities where you can drop your kids off and get a break for a few hours, or you want to join in the fun with them, you have plenty to choose from.
If you’re in Serra Mesa, Bay Park, Linda Vista, Clairemont, or Kearny Mesa, get ready for your kids to paint, dance, act, flip, hoop, sing, bounce, or laugh their day away.
Pachis is an outdoor art studio located between Birdland and Linda Vista. They offer immersive art classes for children from one year old through teenagers. They also offer workshops for the whole family, or you can host a birthday party at Pachis. It’s a great creative outlet for your child to explore their artistry.
Paper Moon Music in Bay Park offers a huge range of musical lesson options for your child. While they don’t have a strict age limit, their general recommendation is that age five is a good start for the piano and age seven is a good age to begin guitar. Their lessons include piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, bass, banjo, drums, and voice lessons.
San Diego Trick and Flip in Bay Park offers a ton of ways for kids to burn off some energy through their tricking and ninja classes (I mean, who doesn’t want to be a ninja?). And if you have no idea what tricking is, you’re not alone. It’s essentially a mash-up of different doctrines, including martial arts, gymnastics, and breakdancing. Join in with your kids or drop them off for one of their Parent Night Out sessions.
Hosting a party for kids and need a fun activity to throw in the mix? Creative Canvas to the rescue! They offer mobile paint lesson parties where kids can let their creative juices flow.
AirTrack Park lets kids power their way through obstacle courses and ball pits, bounce on trampolines, play interactive video games, shoot basketballs, and more. They offer monthly memberships, one-day sessions, birthday parties, and a Little Explorers workshop for kids under five. The facility is located in Kearny Mesa and offers plentiful parking.
At SoCal French Dance Academy, your child will dance to learn coordination and body awareness—and they’ll do it in French. SCFDA offers classes for children aged four through teenagers. Classes are held at the Serra Mesa Recreation Center.
March Madness is on the horizon, which means it’s the perfect time to try out Hoop San Diego. They are a mobile basketball arcade. Kids (and adults) can choose from four different basketball games to play. Their staff sets everything up upon arrival and runs the arcade for you, ensuring a stress-free adventure. And since they are local, you’ll won’t pay mileage fees.
If your kid has a funny bone that won’t quit, sign them up for the Stand Up for Kids class at Mic Drop Comedy in Kearny Mesa. It’s a six-week course led by professional stand-up comedians where kids will learn about joke structure, storytelling, writing techniques, and stage presence. For “graduation,” kids will perform for a live audience to show off their newfound skills.
Kid Wonder in Linda Vista has plenty of options to keep your child entertained. From ninja classes to gymnastics and physical activity classes blended with Montessori learning, Kid Wonder offers it. They offer Friday night drop-offs for kids age five and older, so parents can get some well-deserved respite.
If your kid has ever had a desire to join the circus, Aerial Revolution in Kearny Mesa lets them live out that dream through their Youth Circus Program. They’ll learn skills such as aerial silks, trapeze, aerial hoop, and more. Aerial Revolution focuses on aerial arts, acrobatics, and yoga for youth—and adults.
If you have a child who is into performing arts, San Diego Musical Theatre offers a variety of programs at its academy for kids aged three and up. Classes include singing, dancing, and acting, as well as how to audition to land a role in a performance.
Clairemont-based San Diego Danceworks offers year-round and summer camp dance programs where kids can hone their dance skills. Their classes include acrobatic dance, ballet, contemporary ballet, contemporary dance, tumbling, hip hop, jazz, jazz funk, lyrical dance, modern dance, tap, and more. Your child or teen is sure to find a class that suits their style and rhythm.
