Creative Play For Kids
  • Home
  • Schedule & Locations
    • Winter Calendar
    • Spring Calendar
  • Classes
    • Class Descriptions
    • Class Policies
    • Pricing Policies
    • Sign Up For Your First Trial Class!
  • Parties
  • About Us
    • Our Philosophy
    • Meet the Teachers
    • Our Program
    • FAQ
  • Galleries
    • Testimonials
    • Our Videos
    • Photo Gallery
    • Art Project Gallery
    • Listen to Bubbles
    • Listen to Shake It Now
  • Blog
  • Contact

Music. Movement. Art. Play.

Classes for Babies and Toddlers

Our Staff

Our Founder

Eileen Levine - Creative Play for KidsEileen Levine, M. A., founder and director, was inspired to develop Creative Play for Kids after being disappointed with the “mommy and me” programs she and her infant son tried. Eileen wanted to find a class that best suited the needs of her and her son. She looked for a program that had just the right mix of music and movement activities, was fun, had an enthusiastic teacher, and was fairly priced. Much to her surprise, she couldn’t find one. So with a lot of encouragement from her mommy friends and her husband, she was inspired to create something on her own.

Having worked as a child development specialist and an early childhood educator, Eileen was able to draw from all of her resources.  She combined her academic knowledge of child development, her professional experience in early childhood education, and applied them to create an upbeat, dynamic, fun, music and movement play program.

Creative Play for Kids first began in 2002 with one class per week in a downtown Greenwich Village location. Today, Creative Play for Kids is in multiple locations throughout Manhattan. In February 2005 Creative Play for Kids was featured on FOX 5’s Morning Show “Good Day New York.” In the spring of 2014, Eileen was featured as a developmental expert in a series of developmentally based on-line videos for Parents Magazine.

Today, Eileen continues to teach many of the Creative Play for Kids classes. Additionally, she has hired wonderfully talented musicians and assistants all of whom bring their individual talents to Creative Play for Kids.

While it has been many years since Eileen taught that first class in Greenwich Village she has loved and continues to love every minute of being with the babies and toddlers.  Creative Play for Kids is her passion and love. Ask Eileen about Creative Play for Kids and she says, “I think I have the best job in the world because I get to be a part of so many people’s lives; I get to watch babies grow and develop into little people; and they all have a place in my heart. Creative Play for kids was a seed that sprouted into a full size garden and I’m just fortunate enough to be its caretaker”.

Eileen Levine holds a Masters Degree in Child Development and Educational Psychology from Columbia University. She has worked as a Child Life Specialist at Bellevue Hospital, counseled families in need, and worked as an early childhood educator in a variety of therapeutic nursery school settings. Eileen is a mom and resides in Manhattan with her husband and son.

The classes are great and Eileen has trained her teachers very well…some of the best I have seen.”
– Jen, an Upper Westside Mom


Our Teachers

  • Erik Barragan

    Erik Barragan was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and has been singing, playing music, jumping and having fun with children since 2010. Erik has studied guitar with many talented teachers in NYC and LOVES playing for both children and adults. Erik enjoys working with Creative Play because the program aims to enrich, develop, and entertain children with a subtlety he has rarely seen in other places. Erik says, that it warms his heart to have found a company that genuinely cares so much about the quality of everything they do. We all love Erik’s high energy and his commitment to having fun. Erik lives in Brooklyn with his lovely wife and beautiful daughter and newborn son.

  • Eileen Farley

    Eileen Farley first joined Creative Play for Kids in September 2015. With a B.A. in Drama and a minor in psychology, she quickly realized that working with Creative Play for Kids would allow her to combine all her passions into one! Eileen has been a dancer since the age of 3, and spent 9 months working for the Disney franchise traveling around the world singing and dancing, and most recently was part of the the Sesame St. 50th Anniversary National Tour. Eileen brings her big smile and heart to every class - we just love having her as part of our family.

  • Sebastián Cruz

    Sebastián Cruz is a Colombian guitarist, singer, composer and teacher with a Masters Degree in Jazz Guitar. An accomplished artist, Sebastian has traveled around the world performing. His career includes teaching kids since 2005 as a teaching artist, creating four albums of his original material, working as an early childhood teacher, and playing for Dan Zane’s House Party. Sebastian joined our team in November 2017. He says he feels fortunate to have found a family of hard working people that strive for excellence and enjoy having fun with children. We welcome Sebastian’s fun and upbeat style and are excited to have him sing, dance, and play with us!

  • Rebecca Navarro

    Rebecca Navarro joined the Creative Play for Kids team in November 2018. She has been teaching and inspiring children for the past 8 years. Rebecca grew up in Brooklyn and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Childhood Education from St. John’s University. When she isn't teaching in the classroom, you can find her inspiring children as a caregiver, practicing yoga or reading! Rebecca loves working with children because they are funny and honest. She enjoys being able to make a difference in a child’s life and Creative Play for Kids gives her the freedom to do so. We love her sense of humor and her smile!

  • Jeff Fernandes

    Jeff Fernandes joined Creative Play for Kids in the Fall of 2013 and absolutely loves providing music for the classes. Jeff is an established musician and when he’s not busy shaking with Creative Play, he is playing the drums, guitar, or bass, and singing with many bands and ensembles in the Tri-State area. Ask Jeff about working with Creative Play for Kids and he’ll say that his favorite thing is watching the little guys and gals learn how to play and interact with each other and getting rowdy and silly with “Shake ’n Stop”! We love how Jeff’s exceptional musical talents enliven our classes in a dynamic way!

Register Here for Classes

SPRING OUTDOORS IN THE PARK: Registration is now open for Spring.  Afternoon classes and Healthy Baby classes added!!

WINTER: Classes end on March 31st. Make ups on April 3rd & 4th. Email for details.

NEW BABY CLASSES: At Healthy Baby. See calendar for details.

Visit our YouTube Channel to stay connected with us and see and hear our latest original songs!

Ask about Private Classes too!!

Art Gallery

Art Project Gallery

Check out the fun and creative Art Projects from our Music & Art Combo classes!

See More

Creative Play for Kids
212-729-1667

Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Creative Play for Kids offers mommy and me music & play classes for infants, babies, and toddlers in Manhattan.
Creative Play for Kids and design are a registered mark of Creative Play for Kids LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 · Built by Hot Dog Marketing