Discover After School Activities on Chicago’s North Shore

Chicago Ballet Arts

Chicago Ballet Arts’ mission is to provide equitable access and opportunity to high-quality ballet training to all with the desire to learn. In the process, we strive to instill in our students a love of dance, a respect for the classical disciplines necessary in a performing art, and an expanded capacity for excellence.

CBA’s programs provide experiences for dancers ages 2 and up including classes in the Preparatory, Pre-Professional, and Adult Divisions along with three performance ensembles and summer offerings. The Pre-Professional Division has been recognized for its diversity and features live musical accompaniment. No auditions are required.

Goldfish Swim School – Mundelein, Goldfish Swim School- Evanston & Goldfish Swim School Northbrook

Goldfish Swim School is proud to provide high quality swim lessons and water safety education to the North Shore community! With our state-of-the-art aquatic swimming facility, we have created an inviting and safe environment where kids can overcome their fears, learn to swim, and have tons of fun doing it! We provide result driven swim lessons, plus:

• Family Swim so the whole family can join the fun
• Birthday parties to celebrate your kiddos important milestones
• FREE swim lessons for all babies up to 6 months old!

Check out Goldfish Swim School and dive in with a Free Trial Swim Lesson! Group and Private lessons available!

Foss Swim School

Foss Swim School teaches swim skills for a lifetime of confidence around the water. With decades of proven success, FOSS’ unique Swim Path® curriculum breaks down swim skills into small, manageable steps, ensuring every student builds confidence and mastery at their own pace.

Irina Makkai Classical Ballet and Dance School

Ballet Makkai has been the North Shore’s Premier Dance School for over 38 years. Founded in 1984 by Irina Makkai, our school offers classes in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Tap and Pre-Dance. The school is the recipient of the Mayor’s Award for the Arts for our instruction and contribution to the arts in Highland Park. Home of the Ballet Makkai Nutcracker and Ballet Makkai Youth Company, we have something to offer everyone. Specializing in the Russian based Vaganova Method; we offer individualized attention to each of our dancers. Our award-winning staff of professional dancers includes dancers and directors from the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Lyric Opera, River North Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and more.

JET Hockey Training Arena

JET Hockey Arena utilizes a Studio Rink, allowing players more puck touches and forcing faster decisions, for a unique development system which also offers video review opportunities, one-on-one assessments, clinics, camps, 3x3s. The off-ice training facility is designed and set up specifically for hockey development.

In Canada and Europe, many players hone their skills by playing for hours with friends on frozen ponds or lakes. At JET Hockey Arena, we recreated the pond-hockey environment, allowing Illinois players to gain the same benefits from the smaller venue, which aids in developing the most important skills like timing and spacing, deception, puck possession, stick- handling, and skating agility. If a player is successful at JET Hockey Arena, their skill set easily transfers to a full sheet of ice.

One River School of Art & Design

One River has developed a unique project-based curriculum using the lessons learned from the most compelling living artists. From day one our students find their creative path in a learning process built to create a fun and relevant educational experience.

At One River School, our students simply have more fun learning to create and produce compelling art. It is our belief that we are transforming art education®, as well as providing an experience that changes lives in the communities that we serve.

SNAP – Studio North Academy of the Performing Arts

SNAP, LLC, a fully inclusive institution, believes firmly that a quality performing arts education prepares students of all ages, genders, and abilities for lifelong enjoyment, appreciation, and continuation of the arts.
Arts education instills values in a child that will follow them throughout their life, including discipline, follow-through, promptness, preparedness, poise, confidence, team-work, and most importantly, a love for the arts and for performing.

Inclusive, warm, friendly, excellent training, joyful atmosphere

School of Rock Evanston and School of Rock Highwood

Our music programs for kids are designed to get students on stage performing, with the goal of building strong musical proficiency. The goal of this rock program is to quickly develop a basic competence on students’ chosen instruments by building a teamwork mentality in our bands and encouraging all of our students to express themselves through music!

Our programs run year round! Email or call us to get started!

Taste Buds Kitchen

At Taste Buds Kitchen, your ultimate culinary adventure awaits! We host cooking classes and private events for kids, families and adults, ages 2-99, in our bright and spacious kitchen studio that’s custom-designed for kids by day and is adult BYOB by night. From caregiver & me classes, holiday gingerbread workshops, weekly kids’ classes, family dinners, summer & school break camps and field trips to date night classes, corporate team building and bridal showers, our culinary experiences deliver the perfect recipe for hands-on learning and fun while nurturing an essential life skill.

Ultimate Ninjas North Shore

Ultimate Ninjas North Shore offers a dynamic facility for ninja-style fitness and obstacle course training. Our offerings include climbing walls, balance beams, and agility courses designed to enhance strength, endurance, and coordination for all ages and skill levels. We provide group classes, personal training, and competitive events to engage and motivate participants. Additionally, we host exciting birthday parties, featuring obstacle course challenges and themed activities, making celebrations active and memorable. Our goal is to build a supportive community while helping individuals achieve their fitness goals and experience the thrill of ninja-style training.

We also offer an adult program at Ultimate Ninjas called Ultifit. Ultifit is designed for adults looking to enhance their fitness through challenging and dynamic obstacle courses. The program focuses on building strength, agility, and endurance while providing a fun and engaging workout experience. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced athlete, Ultifit offers a range of obstacles and exercises to help you reach your fitness goals. In the Ultifit program, participants work out with a trainer during each session. Our experienced trainers guide you through the exercises, ensuring proper form and providing personalized support to help you maximize your performance and achieve your fitness goals

Finish Strong

At Finish Strong, we love teaching sports, but we also take great pride in teaching children life skills: how to problem solve, have fun, make new friends and grow into good people through sports! Your support means everything and fuels our dedication! For almost 14 years Finish Strong has been deeply rooted in the community serving young families.  Our unwavering passion and mission will continue to revolve around helping future generations.  We look forward to many more years serving the North Shore!

We offer Day Off Sports Camps! Tentative Camp schedules are as follows:

Grades K-1st: 9:00-11:30AM @ Holy Cross
Grades 2nd-3rd: 12:30-3:00PM @ Holy Cross

Grades K-1st: 12:30-3:00PM @ Highwood Rec
Grades 2nd-3rd: 9:00-11:30AM @ Highwood Rec

All campers must pack a water bottle, nut-free snack and lunch.

2024 Day-Off School Camps

OCTOBER
10/3: District 109 Off
10/14: Columbus Day
10/25: District 109 Off

NOVEMBER
11/5: Election Day
11/11: Veteran’s Day
11/25: District 112 Day Off
11/26: District 112 Day Off

DECEMBER
12/30: Winter Break
12/31: Winter Break

JANUARY
1/2: Winter Break
1/3: Winter Break

Check this link for registration and additional 2025 dates!

North Shore School of Dance

North Shore School of Dance (NSSD) is a professional Dance School with 5 studios conveniently located in Highland Park, IL. We are recognized for our positive and nurturing educational environment and ongoing contributions to students’ and families’ exposure to the arts.

NSSD has continued the tradition of the finest professional dance education in the community for over 50 years. NSSD is the preferred choice for many students just starting out or who are training at an advanced level. With a highly qualified faculty, along with guest artists from well-respected companies, NSSD offers extensive programming for preschoolers through advanced dancers.

We are passionate about dance training as well as the dancers wellness. This is a “home away from home” for our dancers. Here they are comfortable to be themselves. Generations of families continue the tradition of NSSD because we are family.

One Shining Moment Sports and Life Coaching for Kids

Days off Camps
PreK Soorts classes during the day
Private ‘backyard’ classes
Birthday Parties
Life Coaching/confidence coaching
Basketball/baseball private training
TL Steelers Baseball
Open Pickleball

Noggin Builders

Explore, build, and create! STEM enrichment classes at Noggin Builders are filled with fun, hands-on STEM activities. Keep your budding scientist or engineer engaged with unique STEM experiences that will also help them build skills in creative problem solving, collaboration, and resiliency.

Skillabration

Skillabration is an online (fully remote) foreign language school. We primarily work with students ages 8-18. Skillabration offers Spanish, French, Mandarin, Cantonese and American Sign Language lessons. We work with both homeschool students and after school students for 1:1 tutoring and small group classes of 3-10 students.

Our mission is to take students’ world language skills from zero to fuego (fire), preparing them for success as they advance their education. Our vision is to ignite a passion for language learning in students around the world.

The Art Center Highland Park

The Art Center Highland Park aims to inspire and ignite a passion for the arts through its innovative programs and classes for ages 6 and up. Offering both classes and Summer Camps in a variety of mediums such as Jewelry, Ceramics, Cartooning, and Mixed-Media, TAC provides an inclusive environment where students build their skills while discovering their artistic voices. All skill levels are welcome!

The Art Center is committed to a safe environment for all of our students, visitors, instructors, and donors. We have a Zero Tolerance Policy and a Code of Conduct to ensure security and creative freedom for all.

Top Tier Lessons

Top Tier Lessons is an online platform that allows parents to book private and small group sports lessons directly with college athletes. We handle the venue, payment, scheduling and safety all on site. We work with athletes from Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola in soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse and more.

Top Tier Lessons was started as a way for all college athletes to make money doing what they love, as well as to help form inspiring relationships with the next generation of athletes. We began as a “small town” swim instruction service and have now expanded to form partnerships with the Evanston and Skokie Park Districts.

At Top Tier Lessons, we believe coaches are more than just coaches, they are role models and mentors.

North Shore Music

North Shore Music provides private music instruction and instrument rental to all ages on guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, banjo, ukulele saxophone, clarinet and flute. At our music school in Wilmette, our instructors are some of Chicagoland’s top performers and in-demand professionals with skilled knowledge in achieving individual musical goals. 

Your skillset is developed through musicality and self-confidence to perform at your optimal potential. A strong foundation in musical concepts is complemented through application and tutelage. Commitment is fostered through the reward of success.

We work to define and achieve your musical goals with professional instruction by performing musicians. We celebrate diversity through inclusivity.

Hi-Five Sports North Shore

Hi-Five has been enriching the lives of children through what we call youth sports entertainment since 1990. Our mission is helping children feel good about themselves while they engage in healthy, fun activities. The 2024-2025 school year is a special one for us as we will be celebrating our 35th anniversary! The celebration includes the best facilities in the area with our one of a kind, Hi-Five Sports Zone Northbrook Court, the Berto center for our hoops leagues, and the Dome @ Willow Hill for our school break camps. Be sure to join us for our most exciting year to date!

Whether you are looking for a preschool class, grade school league/clinic, school break camps EVERY DAY OFF, specialty event and birthday party, we are your one-stop-shop. 

Marvelous Sanctuary Studio

At Marvelous Sanctuary Studio we promote inclusion and create programs that embrace positivity, self-confidence, self-worth and inner strength. We offer group boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and strength & conditioning classes as well as 1:1 training as well. Kids of all walks of life can rise above feelings of anxiety, social uneasiness and improve self-esteem through challenging and fun workouts!

i9 Sports

With over 4 million registrations in communities across the United States, i9 Sports® is the nation’s largest multi-sport provider focused solely on high-quality, community-based kids sports leagues. We offer recreational sports leagues, camps and clinics for kids in today’s most popular sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse and volleyball. Our coaches and instructors provide age-appropriate instruction that’s both fun for kids and convenient for busy families. We are committed to our mission of Helping Kids Succeed in Life Through Sports.® That’s why we teach sportsmanship values alongside skills and drills every week.

To us, it’s simply The Way Youth Sports Should Be.®

Bubbles Academy Highland Park

Early childhood education for whole child development, offering caregiver and child classes & preparing for preschool classes.

Join us on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. for Process Art: Preschoolers, a creative experience perfect for preschoolers looking to extend their day and build stamina. This ‘gentle separation’ style class invites little ones to explore independently while caregivers take a breather outside the classroom. We’ve also paired this time with our Baby Playgroup, so younger siblings can enjoy socialization and play. The Baby Playgroup is complimentary with class enrollment, or families can purchase a drop-in pass as well.

Movement Junkies Kid’s Yoga

Movement Junkies Kid’s Yoga strives to share the gift of yoga with ALL children. MJ Kid’s yoga teaches movement and mindfulness through playful yoga poses, stories and games. In our classes, children build confidence while engaging in challenging yoga poses that stretch their bodies and their imaginations. MJ Kid’s yoga was created by former Special Education teacher, Yogi and mother of 4, Robin Taxman. Yoga improves mental and physical health and helps children live more mindfully. Movement Junkies shares yoga in preschools, elementary schools, studios, and therapy settings. We also host birthday parties, family yoga, private and public events and MORE! Namaste! See you on the mat!