What types of arts & humanities programs are available for children at the Y?

Arts & Humanities programs at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine are offered at seven locations across Chester County. * All classes are not offered at each location. Here are some of the classes offered at YGBW. View All Classes . Cooking Classes Family Cooking Class: Children and their grown ups will connect and engage through the art of cooking. Explore the world of cooking with your favorite little chef. Grown Ups are required to stay with their participant. Quality time paired with quality food? Yes, please! Budding Chefs: Calling all budding chefs! Our team will teach basic kitchen safety skills - along with a recipe of the week. Budding chefs will be proud to show off their new skills and share these classic recipes at home with the family. Supplies and ingredients are included. Sounds like a recipe for success! Young Chefs: Looking to learn a little about the kitchen? Our team will teach basic kitchen safety skills - along with a recipe of the week. Young chefs will be proud to show off their new skills and share these classic recipes at home with the family. Supplies and ingredients are included. Sounds like a recipe for success! Art Classes Family Art Class: Children and their grown ups will connect and engage through art. You'll love watching your little artist explore their world in this immersive class. Grown Up is required to stay with the participant for this class. Young Picassos: Paint, clay, pencils and more. Young artists aged 6-8, will create masterpieces using their creativity and art skills. Our team will lead your children through projects, teaching new skills each week. All materials are provided. You'll take home the artwork - but not the mess! Picassos: Young artists ages 9-14 will create masterpieces using their creativity and a variety of mediums. Lead by our team of youth development staff, future artists will have a great time imagining, creating, and designing projects each week. All materials provided. Youth Pottery: Students are introduced to the magnificent world of clay! In this class they will learn the basics of hand-building with clay and create beautiful and functional pieces of art. Teen Pottery: Students are introduced to the magnificent world of clay! In this class they will learn the basics of hand-building and wheel throwing with clay to create beautiful and functional pieces of art. Dance Classes Baby Dance: This class introduces your child to free movement and simple ballet steps. We incorporate simple dance exercises, stretches, and movement while emphasizing body awareness in a nurturing, creative, and fun environment. Caregiver participation is encouraged. Intro to Hip Hop: Each class will start with a warmup and stretch and then students will learn the technique and terminology of hip hop. Enviromental Ed Classes Toddlers in Nature: Watch your little one as they grow, learn, and explore the wonders of the natural world in this hands-on, sensory-based program. We'll use stories, songs, and short walks as a way to discover the sky above and the ground below. This program is designed for toddlers and their favorite grown-up - mom, dad, or grandparent. Youth Garden Club: Join us as we get elbow deep in the dirt for some gardening fun! Kids will learn about different types of gardens and how best to make plants grow. We will learn how animals and humans use plants, and gather herbs, veggies and flowers to bring home. Music Classes Grown Up/Child Music: A place for parents and children to connect through music! Percussion Level 1: This course aims to teach students the fundamentals of drumming. Students will learn proper hand techniques, drum patterns on a drumming pad, and how to complete a basic snare drum solo. STEM Classes Build It STEM Class: Bricks, blocks, sticks and more. Young engineers will build creations each week in this STEM-themed class. Our team will provide weekly challenges that children will work to solve. Fun, engaging and one-of-a-kind! Build It Plus STEM Class: Take STEM to the next level with your future engineers! The participants will participate in different challenges and projects weekly that will create a fun, engaging, and one-of-a-kind experience! Lil' Einsteins STEM Class: Logic and creativity combine in this STEM-themed class. Our youngest engineers will use their left-brains to analyze problems and their right-brains to design creative solutions. Our team will provide a variety of STEM activities each week - and all the materials needed to invent a fun time! Theater Classes Intro to Acting: Places! Curtain! Lights! Give your aspiring performer the opportunity to discover acting. In our Intro to Acting class, children will learn the building blocks of acting through enriching and entertaining theater games. You'll be asking for their autograph by the end of this session. Preschool Musical Theater: Imagination meets movement in our preschool musical theater class. Children aged 3-5 will play musical theater games that incorporate singing, dancing and acting. Our team will help aspiring performers establish the building blocks of the performing arts, foster creativity and nurture self-esteem - all while having fun.

What types of arts & humanities programs are available for adults at the Y?

Adult Pottery Class: Our monthly adult pottery classes welcome individuals who are new to pottery and those who are seeking to refine their skills. Our classes offer a unique opportunity to express your creativity and have an enjoyable and enriching experience. Advanced Adult Pottery: Our advanced pottery program provides an ideal environment for you to dive deeper into this art form and explore various techniques on the pottery wheel. Whether you are an aspiring artist or an experienced individual looking to refine your skills, our classes offer a platform for you to express your unique style and bring your artistic vision to life. Adult Drawing: Have a visual in your head you want to put to paper? Come learn basic drawing techniques and/or improve the skills you have. Adult Acrylic Painting: This class allows adults to dive into the creativity with acrylic paints. Come learn basic painting techniques and/or improve the skills you have. Adult Tap: A fun adult class to learn and refine your tap skills and learn longer sequences of movement.

Arts & Humanities Programs at the Y

Arts & Humanities at the Y

The YMCA of Greater Brandywine offers a wide variety of programs for youth, teens and adults across Chester County including art, dance, theater, music and cooking programs.

Browse Arts & Humanities Programs

Children at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine learn how to cook healthy snacks.

Let's Get Creative

The Y offers youth and adults the opportunity to explore the arts, express their creativity and take risks in a safe and encouraging environment.

From art studios to the stage, our program range from introductory classes to public performances. Our Imaginarium is a hub for creativity and our 5,500 square foot theater provides unparalleled performance opportunities.

Arts & Humanities Programs

Art

Art fosters creativity and imagination while building new skills. We offer Arts programs in a variety of modalities for children starting at age three.

View Art Programs

Cooking

Cooking helps children develop fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and early concepts of math and science as well as allowing them a sense of achievement and self-sufficiency!

View Cooking Programs

Dance

Our Dance students will improve flexibility, balance, coordination and strength while expressing their creative side.

View Dance Programs

Music

Learning music at a young age boosts cognitive skills, emotional expression, and discipline while nurturing creativity and social development. It helps kids grow smarter, more focused, and confident—all through the joy of making music.

View Music Programs

Theater

We offer introductory performing arts classes for children of all levels – plus full theater productions at the Jennersville and Upper Main Line YMCAs.

View Theater Programs

All Arts & Humanities Programs

Arts & Humanities programs help children build creativity, confidence, and emotional intelligence while developing communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Through dance, art, music, cooking, and theater, kids learn to express themselves, appreciate diverse cultures, and think in imaginative, meaningful ways.

View All Programs

Summer Camp at the Y

With nine locations across Chester County, PA, YMCA camps offer a summer of fun, adventure and friendships for kids ages 3-15. Our campuses offer acres of amenities and leverage all of our robust indoor and outdoor spaces to keep each day fun and exciting – rain or shine! Some fun activities include daily swimming, gaga pit, slingshots, archery, inflatables, arts and crafts, canoeing and more.

Register Today

Education & STEM Programs

Our Education and STEM programs offer an early introduction to a wide variety of concepts and teach science, technology, engineering, math, sign language and more through creative play, setting a foundation for being successful in school and in life.

Learn more

Teens at the Y

Teens in our community are creative and passionate and have many talents to contribute – and we want to ensure they know this about themselves!

We're empowering youth to set and achieve goals by launching Y Achievers and revamping our 7th Grade Initiative.

Learn More

Learn More About Arts & Humanities Programs at the Y

Grown Up/Child Music classes begin a young as 1 year old while Baby Dance and Toddlers in Nature begin at 2 years old.

Our cooking classes and art classes begin as early as 3 years old with our family classes, where children and their grown ups learn together.

We also offer Preschool Musical Theater, starting at 3 years old to help sync imagination and movement!

Arts & Humanities programs at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine are offered at seven locations across Chester County. *All classes are not offered at each location.

Here are some of the classes offered at YGBW. View All Classes.

Cooking Classes
- Family Cooking Class: Children and their grown ups will connect and engage through the art of cooking. Explore the world of cooking with your favorite little chef. Grown Ups are required to stay with their participant. Quality time paired with quality food? Yes, please!
- Budding Chefs: Calling all budding chefs! Our team will teach basic kitchen safety skills - along with a recipe of the week. Budding chefs will be proud to show off their new skills and share these classic recipes at home with the family. Supplies and ingredients are included. Sounds like a recipe for success!
- Young Chefs: Looking to learn a little about the kitchen? Our team will teach basic kitchen safety skills - along with a recipe of the week. Young chefs will be proud to show off their new skills and share these classic recipes at home with the family. Supplies and ingredients are included. Sounds like a recipe for success!
Art Classes
- Family Art Class: Children and their grown ups will connect and engage through art. You'll love watching your little artist explore their world in this immersive class. Grown Up is required to stay with the participant for this class.
- Young Picassos: Paint, clay, pencils and more. Young artists aged 6-8, will create masterpieces using their creativity and art skills. Our team will lead your children through projects, teaching new skills each week. All materials are provided. You'll take home the artwork - but not the mess!
- Picassos: Young artists ages 9-14 will create masterpieces using their creativity and a variety of mediums. Lead by our team of youth development staff, future artists will have a great time imagining, creating, and designing projects each week. All materials provided.
- Youth Pottery: Students are introduced to the magnificent world of clay! In this class they will learn the basics of hand-building with clay and create beautiful and functional pieces of art.
- Teen Pottery: Students are introduced to the magnificent world of clay! In this class they will learn the basics of hand-building and wheel throwing with clay to create beautiful and functional pieces of art.
Dance Classes
- Baby Dance: This class introduces your child to free movement and simple ballet steps. We incorporate simple dance exercises, stretches, and movement while emphasizing body awareness in a nurturing, creative, and fun environment. Caregiver participation is encouraged.
- Intro to Hip Hop: Each class will start with a warmup and stretch and then students will learn the technique and terminology of hip hop.
Enviromental Ed Classes
- Toddlers in Nature: Watch your little one as they grow, learn, and explore the wonders of the natural world in this hands-on, sensory-based program. We'll use stories, songs, and short walks as a way to discover the sky above and the ground below. This program is designed for toddlers and their favorite grown-up - mom, dad, or grandparent.
- Youth Garden Club: Join us as we get elbow deep in the dirt for some gardening fun! Kids will learn about different types of gardens and how best to make plants grow. We will learn how animals and humans use plants, and gather herbs, veggies and flowers to bring home.
Music Classes
- Grown Up/Child Music: A place for parents and children to connect through music!
- Percussion Level 1: This course aims to teach students the fundamentals of drumming. Students will learn proper hand techniques, drum patterns on a drumming pad, and how to complete a basic snare drum solo.
STEM Classes
- Build It STEM Class: Bricks, blocks, sticks and more. Young engineers will build creations each week in this STEM-themed class. Our team will provide weekly challenges that children will work to solve. Fun, engaging and one-of-a-kind!
- Build It Plus STEM Class: Take STEM to the next level with your future engineers! The participants will participate in different challenges and projects weekly that will create a fun, engaging, and one-of-a-kind experience!
- Lil' Einsteins STEM Class: Logic and creativity combine in this STEM-themed class. Our youngest engineers will use their left-brains to analyze problems and their right-brains to design creative solutions. Our team will provide a variety of STEM activities each week - and all the materials needed to invent a fun time!
Theater Classes
- Intro to Acting: Places! Curtain! Lights! Give your aspiring performer the opportunity to discover acting. In our Intro to Acting class, children will learn the building blocks of acting through enriching and entertaining theater games. You'll be asking for their autograph by the end of this session.
- Preschool Musical Theater: Imagination meets movement in our preschool musical theater class. Children aged 3-5 will play musical theater games that incorporate singing, dancing and acting. Our team will help aspiring performers establish the building blocks of the performing arts, foster creativity and nurture self-esteem - all while having fun.

Adult Pottery Class: Our monthly adult pottery classes welcome individuals who are new to pottery and those who are seeking to refine their skills. Our classes offer a unique opportunity to express your creativity and have an enjoyable and enriching experience.
Advanced Adult Pottery: Our advanced pottery program provides an ideal environment for you to dive deeper into this art form and explore various techniques on the pottery wheel. Whether you are an aspiring artist or an experienced individual looking to refine your skills, our classes offer a platform for you to express your unique style and bring your artistic vision to life.
Adult Drawing: Have a visual in your head you want to put to paper? Come learn basic drawing techniques and/or improve the skills you have.
Adult Acrylic Painting: This class allows adults to dive into the creativity with acrylic paints. Come learn basic painting techniques and/or improve the skills you have.
Adult Tap: A fun adult class to learn and refine your tap skills and learn longer sequences of movement.

YES! We have the UMLY School of Dance Education at our Upper Main Line YMCA that offers numerous classes as well as a Dance Company. Learn more.

The YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization that offers income-based membership rates and financial assistance for programs for those unable to pay the standard rates. Ask us for details.

Equal Opportunity - Admissions and the provisions of services shall be made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, ancestry, national origin (including limited English proficiency) age or sex.