Düsseldorf, Germany, is a vibrant and diverse city with a lot to offer families… but for some reason, I always feel stumped at the start of any day when I’m trying to figure out what to do with the kids that day. Anyone else?
Whether you are a local or just visiting, you will find a wide range of courses for kids to keep your little ones entertained, educated, and engaged. From art to sports, music to language, there is something for every child in Düsseldorf. In this blog post, we’ll highlight some of the best courses for kids in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Sports Clubs & Classes
From “Turnen” to individual and group sports, there are so many different athletic courses to choose from in the city. Here are some of the favorites mentioned by other international parents around Düsseldorf.
Sportvereine
Sportvereine is the German word for sports clubs. They are organizations that bring together individuals who share a common interest in a particular sport or physical activity – football, lacrosse, track, you’ll find it all here. ⬇️
- Düsseldorf Dragons Rugby (run in English)
- ISD Sportverein (in English & open to the entire community – offers basketball, soccer, swimming & volleyball)
- Turnverein Ratingen 1865 e.V. (offer pretty much everything)
- Turnverein Kalkum-Wittlaer (football, volleyball, track, flag football)
- Düsseldorfer Sportverein 04 Lierenfeld e.V. (football, tennis, track, fitness)
- VfL Benrath 06 e.V. (football, swimming)
- Düsseldorfer Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V. (football)
- Düsseldorfer Sport Club 1899 e.V. (football, volleyball, track, handball, hockey, tennis, lacrosse)
- TUS Derendorf 1894 e.V. (badminton, gymnastics, football, ping pong, Turnen, volleyball, Zumba)
- TSG Düsseldorf-Benrath e.V. (badminton, baseball, softball, handball, tennis, diving, Turnen, volleyball)
Although not all clubs offer ALL sports for children, it’s worth checking into as things often change throughout the years.
You may also want to check out some of our blogs on Life in Düsseldorf like our feature on Düsseldorf’s English rugby team, the American football team, our list of the best tennis courts, basketball teams, curling, and more.
A couple of others worth mentioning which aren’t necessarily sports clubs, but awesome sports courses for the kids include:
- Ballinos Ballschule: Located in Niederkassel, Oberkassel, Bilk, and Gerresheim in 6 different locations, children ages 2-6 can take part in various different team sports and learn a bit about each one. These “ball sports” include soccer, hockey, tennis, basketball, and more.
- Futziball: Focus on the preliminary stages of learning soccer for children between the ages of 2 and 5. Their website is also offered in English.
- MOVE Kletterhalle: I never thought to sign my son up for rock climbing until we did it for fun together with the family one day and learned that they actually do have kids’ classes available too! If he could pick one sport that he loves most, it would hands down be rock climbing at MOVE Kletterhalle.
Individual Sports
Although you may also find a number of individual sports in the Sportvereine mentioned above (like tennis, swimming, track and field, golf, gymnastics, etc.), there are still a number of other courses worth mentioning here. ⬇️
Kids’ swimming courses include:
- Krokodil-Schwimmschule (they speak English as well)
- Aqua-GYM
- Flossen weg e.V.
- Düsselschwimmer (located in Wersten, Bilk, Garath, Niederheid, Stockum, and Mörsenbroich)
Pony & horseback riding courses include:
- Der Ponyhof
- Pony Ponderosa Pony Riding
- Horses4Kids
- Gut Mochenhof Riding School (website in English)
- Reitpark de Groote
Inline Skating School
- Düsseldorf Rams inline skating school is open to the public so that you can bring your kiddos around just for a trial run or even buy a “10-er Karte” for more visits. They also have their inline skater-hockey teams which start at the “Bambini U10” level as well if your child is already comfortable on those inline skates (we call them rollerblades in Canada).
Dance Classes
- Tanzhaus NRW (starting at the age of 4 – hip hop, ballet & creative dance, creative children’s dance, funk jazz, contemporary dance, modern dance, and more)
- Tanzetage (kids ballet and more)
- JC Academy (“hiphop 4 kids”)
- Balletschule Kaiserswerth
Martial Arts Classes
Music Clubs & Classes
Kids’ music classes offer a variety of benefits for children, both in terms of their musical development and their overall growth and development. Here are some of the best schools around Düsseldorf. ⬇️
- Rasselband: Located in Derendorf & offer a variety of classes for different age groups, both with and without parents. They have a new class which is a theater group in English starting at the age of 6.
- MA Music Academy: Located in the city center & offer rock, jazz, and pop music lessons for kids 2 and up.
- Musikschule Düsseldorf: Offers lessons in a variety of instruments and vocal performances for children of all ages.
- Musik- und Kunstschule Bilk: Offers a wide range of music classes for children aged three and up.
Creative Clubs & Classes
Reading clubs, theatre clubs, etiquette classes, you name it… you’ll find it here in Düsseldorf. Here are just a few parents’ favourites from our international community. ⬇️
- International English Library: Tales for Tots, Preschool Storytime, Thursdays with Lara (9-12 years old), and Chapter Book Adventures (6-10 years old).
- The English Theatre Düsseldorf: Offers an abundance of kids’ theatre courses for children between the ages of 1-18.
- Aurelija Hadding’s Etiquette Classes: Hadding is a certified etiquette expert who provides consultations and specialty courses not just for adults, but for children between the ages of 6 to 12 as well. Her programs run on request only but offer a wide variety of fun games in order to work on the children’s interpersonal skills, dining etiquette, tidiness, hygiene, health, and being kind to others.
- Malzauber: Diana runs online and in-person classes here in Düsseldorf for kids and adults of all ages. She teaches you how to have fun with colours and get painting. She also has a kids club!
- Casa Camila Storck: Camila offers two levels of art classes for kids (4-6 and 6-8) which helps with fine motor skills and integrating elements of nature.
- Museum Kunstpalast: Often have ongoing kids’ museum and art programs, as well as birthday parties, etc.
- Hopp’s Mal: Art courses for kids 6 – 18 and adults as well.
- Kochschule Medienhafen: Hosts kids’ birthday parties and kids’ cooking classes.
- Kids Kochstudio: Cooking classes for kids ages 4 – 17.
Science & Coding Classes
- Algorithmics School Düsseldorf: International school of programming offering different fun classes for children aged 6 – 18 years.
- Codingschule Junior: Offers classes in programming and coding for kids and teens 12 years and above.
- Kinder-Uni Düsseldorf: A university designed for children between the ages of eight and twelve.
- Tinkertank: A maker space that offers courses in coding, robotics, 3D printing, and electronics.
Kids Language Classes
Looking to get your kiddo into some language classes? Whether you’d like them to brush up on their German or learn a new language altogether, here are a few great options. ⬇️
- Polyglot Kids Sprachschule: Language classes in more than 14 different languages.
- Helen Doron: Helping your children perfect their English language skills + cool summer camps.
- Language Institute Berlitz: Offers language classes for children between the ages of 7 – 15.
- Al Madina Institut: Offers kids Arabic language classes from beginner to native level.
Clubs with various courses
Now for all the other amazing spaces offering a never-ending list of classes and courses for kids (which didn’t fall under any of the above categories because they offer a bit of everything). ⬇️
Happy Kids
You might know Happy Kids for their amazing play space and Kindercafé here in Düsseldorf, but did you also know that they offer a number of different courses for kids and babies as well? At the moment, you can find courses like “Babygymnastik”, “Spielen und Bewegen”, “Musikkurse” (for 10 months – 3 years), “Tanz und Bewegung” (for 10 months – 4 years), “Kreativkurs” (for 3-6 years), “Tanzkurse für Kinder” (for 3-5 years).
Sportgeister
In their Flizzi-Geister program, they offer interactive music, toddler gymnastics, and free play for 0-3 years and parents on weekday mornings. They also have many different Turnen and football classes for children up to the age of 8.
AWO Familientreff in Eller, Bilk, and Holthausen
AWO offers a number of different family meetups in Eller, Bilk, and Holthausen. They run a number of different programs for everyone (internationals, single mothers, single fathers, etc.) Some of their courses and workshops include swimming, father-son playgroups, PEKIP, and crawling groups.
efa Düsseldorf Courses
There are a number of different locations where efa Düsseldorf hosts courses and workshops for the whole family, starting from pregnancy onwards. For toddlers specifically (1-4), there are tons of courses that focus on climbing, jumping, singing, water play, and dancing. You’ll have to check their program for upcoming dates and course registrations.
ASG Courses
ASG offers a number of different courses all over the city which includes some of their most popular – Eltern-Kind-Turnen, Elterncafé, playgroups, movement courses, creative courses, cooking courses, and much much more.
kiwifalter Courses
kiwifalter is a huge cultural house in Düsseldorf Kalkum for the entire family. Here they offer a number of different courses for children (and adults) of all ages including reading parties, baby ballet, kiddie yoga, theatre for kids, and many more creative workshops. You can find all of their courses on their app.
Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK)
If we included every course they offer, we might be here all day long. They offer an abundance of family-friendly courses. Some of the ones that stood out to me were the playgroups, music classes, parent-kid swimming classes, events (like visits to the petting zoo), and so much more!
Evangelisches Krankenhaus Düsseldorf (EVK)
EVK specializes in offering courses to help the mother both pre-and post-birth. Some of the post-birth classes include mom & baby yoga, baby massage classes, crawling playgroups, and much more.
[box] Looking for something else? If this list wasn’t extensive enough for you, you can always check out the local Libelle Magazin, Kindaling, or kidsgo for more courses and kid-friendly events around Düsseldorf.[/box]
