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15 Best Children’s Gym & Fitness Franchises [Cost, Fees]

Do you want to start a children’s gym business by buying a franchise? If YES, here are 15 best kids’ fitness franchise opportunities for sale and their cost. Parents of the more than 74 million children under the age of 18 in the U.S. are becoming very concerned about making sure their kids stay healthy, fit and active. This is due, in part, to the strong pull of sedentary screen-time spent watching television, playing video games or being on their mobile devices.

These inactive lifestyles have contributed to the doubling rate of childhood obesity in the last two decades, with 10 percent of all children aged 2-5 in the U.S. being overweight. Child fitness and gym franchises allow children to play and get physically fit.

Child fitness franchises can be a life saver for busy parents who want their children to get active, release some of their energy, and learn healthy habits. Meanwhile, youth fitness has become one of the fastest growing areas in the fitness industry. Child fitness and gym centers have been growing at a rate of 2 percent per year.

According to reports, the contributing factors to the booming child fitness and gym industry include budget cuts in the educational system that have led to schools cutting back on physical education programs, and government budget cuts that have led to areas cutting back on funding for recreational areas such as parks and playgrounds. Child fitness franchises over the years have grown past just exercise for the body – there are exercises for the brain as well.

A lot of child fitness franchises are structured around play, which incorporates fun and teaching. Reports have shown that children learn better when they play. These franchises make exercising fun instead of an obligation, letting kids enjoy the experience while teaching them how to develop a healthy lifestyle.

The children’s fitness market is growing massively, and entrepreneurs who want a slice of the action now have a fantastic short-list of proven business concepts to choose from.

15 Best Children’s Gym & Fitness Franchise Opportunities for Sale and Their Cost

  1. Goldfish Swimming School

This unique swimming school owns and operates a chain of 90 franchises of swimming schools. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan. It provides developmentally appropriate water safety and swimming lessons in a safe, child-friendly, and fun environment.

They also provide training to children aged three months to 12 years in swimming. There are different programs available such as swim lessons, family swim, swim force, parties, jump start clinics, and technique clinics.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments – $1,315,283 – $3,045,358
  • Net-worth Requirement – $750,000 – $1,500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $450,000 – $600,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $50,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Skyhawks Sports Academy

Skyhawks has grown into a nation’s leader in sports programs for children. Skyhawks is a brand with national exposure and appeal and with the recent purchase of SuperTots, has multiple ways to offer you a dependable and rewarding business. Skyhawks and SuperTots together teach children and young adults meaningful life lessons through sports. With this franchise, you will surely make a difference in the lives of thousands of children.

As a Skyhawks franchisee, you will focus on promoting Skyhawks programs and services by using your sales and marketing skills and your enthusiasm for athletics. Also, you will concentrate on selling your services to community-based organizations that serve children. Note that you will also recruit, hire and train staff to implement these programs.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $30,000
  • Net Worth Requirement – $100,000
  • Total Investment – $50,000
  • Franchise Fee – $27,500
  1. SafeSplash Swim School

SafeSplash Swim School, a nationally recognized learn-to swim program, provides swimming programs for children and adults, birthday parties, summer camps, other swimming-related activities, and the sale of related products. To date, SafeSplash has delivered over 1.25 million lessons, touching thousands of families across the country since 2005.

SafeSplash Swim School also provides a unique franchise concept that teaches a life skill, swimming, that children must learn. Besides the obvious importance of safety, swimming lessons can be rewarding and provide a lifetime of fun. Have it in mind that with two models available, SafeSplash has a range of opportunities for those looking to become part of the SafeSplash family.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $70,000
  • Net Worth Requirement – $250,000 – $1,000,000
  • Total Investment – $45,000 – $1,512,500
  1. The Little Gym

This business was established by Robin Wes, who understood a few things about children’s fitness given his degrees in physical education, psychology, and motor development. The company takes a proprietary whole-child approach it calls Three-Dimensional Learning that address not only physical fitness, but also intellectual and social development as well.

Note that Robin combined all of his skills as an accomplished primary public-school teacher, gymnast, kinesiologist, and musician in developing an array of programs that are both fun and effective in a noncompetitive environment that nurtures a love of fitness in children, while at the same time supporting their emotional and social development.

Combined with all the regular classes for kids and parents, most locations also offer birthday parties, summer camps, and creative crafting adventures. Regular classes offer age-appropriate activities in gymnastics, karate, and a variety of other sports.

Financial Requirements

  • Franchise fee – $9,759 – $49,500
  • Total Investment – $92,750 – $431,500
  • Royalty – 8%
  1. My Gym Children’s Fitness Center

This company has responded to the demand in the marketplace by establishing one of the most innovative programs in the children’s educational fitness industry, a field that has experienced rapid growth with My Gym at the forefront. The company’s program has been created to help children three months to thirteen years of age develop physically, cognitively and emotionally.

Imaginations soar and children triumph at My Gym centers, the ultimate in exercise and play arenas. Also, the company structured, age-appropriate weekly classes incorporate music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and other original activities.

My Gym kids have fantastic fun developing their coordination, agility, flexibility, fine and gross motor proficiency, balance, strength and social skills as they run, jump, tumble, dance and sing. There is no such thing as failure in the My Gym curriculum.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $50,000
  • Total Investment – $50,000 – $240,000
  1. Soccer Shots

This company was started by three friends who had all played soccer together in college and two of whom went on to play professionally. Jason Webb, Jeremy Sorzano, and Justin Bredeman were looking for a way to make extra money during the off-season, and they created Soccer Shots for kids in Charlotte, North Caroline and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Their carefully crafted model of weekly programs lasting 30 to 40 minutes geared towards developing basic soccer skills alongside character-building lessons for kids from 2 to 8 years of age, proved incredibly successful, and worthy of franchising. The company’s model focuses on the three Cs of coaching, communication, and curriculum.

All their coaches are certified in age-appropriate techniques, communication with parents is constant and is considered an essential component of program success, and the curriculum of soccer skills and character development was organized with help and advice from both education specialists and soccer professionals.

Financial Requirements

  • Total Investment – $41,034 – $53,950
  • Franchise Fee – $34,500
  • Royalty – 7%
  1. Tutu School

This wonderful School was established on the guiding principle that “every child should know what it feels like to dance.” The company is specifically focused on introducing young children to the beauty and magic of ballet. The company’s founder, Genevieve Custer Weeks, was a professional ballet dancer until she retired from performing in 2012 to give more attention to her growing chain of boutique ballet studios and her family.

The company offers age-appropriate ballet classes to children aged 18 months to 8 years. Even though it clearly looks geared towards girls, boys are welcome to join any of the classes.

Financial Requirements

  • Cash Investment – $65,200
  • Total Investment – $65,200 – $107,700
  • Franchise Fees – $36,000
  1. D-BAT Academies, Inc.

This company is a premier baseball and softball training facility with addition services like memberships, camps, cage rental, pitching machines, weight training which also provides a full line of products including wood bats, gloves, batting gloves and baseball and softball accessories.

It’s very important to state that this company was founded in 1998 and is based in Carrollton, Texas. They also provide franchise opportunities. As of 2018, the company operates 56 franchises in the United States and 3 ones outside the country.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $397,025 – $698,975
  • Net-worth Requirement – $300,000 – $5,000,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $75,000 – $200,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $40,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 40% of membership fees
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2.5% of fees
  1. British Swim School

British Swim School is a franchise dedicated to providing an opportunity for children to learn how to swim, no matter what age. Classes have been proven to prevent child drownings by utilizing one-of-a-kind techniques taught by experienced instructors. As a franchise owner, you never have to get wet or teach a lesson (unless you want to). The company also rent pools and find you water, so there are no costs for build out, maintenance, or upkeep.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $100,000
  • Net Worth Requirement – $150,000
  • Total Investment – $54,275 – $150,875
  1. SafeSplash / SwimLabs / Swimtastic

SafeSplash / SwimLabs / Swimtastic takes a new approach when teaching kids to swim by making use of the same techniques used for Olympic swimmers – mirrors and instant video feedback that significantly transform swim instruction.

Understanding that most kids learn best by seeing, the use of mirrors on the bottom of the pool and instant video feedback help even the youngest beginners to learn correct techniques that they apply immediately, which speeds up the learning process and gives them the skills needed to be safe in the water.

In addition to beginning swimmers, each location offers its unique instruction techniques to children and youths who are already competitive swimmers, and programs for adults as well.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $39,500 – $1,582,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $500,000 – $1,000,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $60,000 – $300,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $20,000 – $60,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Tapout Fitness 

This company is a fast – growing franchise company that offers Martial Arts infused fitness facilities for adults and children of all levels. Note that the clubs feature Tapout Fitness branded boxing, kickboxing, boot camp and high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, which are complemented by some of today’s hottest group fitness programming.

Tapout Fitness is part of the Tapout brand family. Tapout is owned and operated by two powerhouse brands; Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a brand development, marketing and entertainment company, which owns a global portfolio of over 30 lifestyle, sports, celebrity and entertainment brands, and World Wrestling Entertainment.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Cash Required – $100,000
  • Net Worth Required – $150,000
  • Total Investment – $94,000 – $446,000
  • Franchise Fee – $50,000
  1. Fun Bus

FUN BUS is a children’s mobile fitness “gym on wheels,” where the workout is brought directly to you! The company makes it a point to instill healthy habits and a love for fitness in young children, aged 2-7, and there’s no better way to do that than through FUN Bus! Fun Bus has enjoyed rise in the amount of focus being paid to this growing problem and will always remain in a perfect position to help alleviate this issue.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $50,000
  • Net Worth Requirement – $200,000
  • Total Investment – $ 95,650 – $117,900
  1. RedLine Athletics

This company is known as a sports-specific training facility where highly accomplished athletes, former professionals and specially certified trainers help young athletes improve their fitness and skills to reach the next level. If you have a passion for sports, with a purpose to serve the underserved Youth sports market, then you should own a Red Line Athletics Youth Athletic Training Center franchise.

RedLine Athletics goes a long way to simplify the trainer / athlete relationship so the primary focus can always be on the athlete and their specific needs. With a major emphasis on speed, power, and core, RedLine athletes are equipped to handle any situation that arises on their playing field.

Also, by offering a wide variety of sports-specific training sessions, RedLine Athletics is a cost – efficient sports training facility that offers its athletes evaluations testing and sports development opportunities, with an emphasis on enhancing the athletic achievements of the junior and senior players. RedLine is especially proficient at training players ages 8 – 18.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirements – $100,000
  • Net Worth Requirements – $300,000
  • Total Investment – $400,000
  • Franchise Fee – $39,000
  1. Tennis Time

Tennis Time is one of the fastest growing kids sports businesses in the United States. Founded by Coach Greg, one of Atlanta’s top coaches and a former NCAA Division 1 tennis player, Tennis Time has one mission: Teach as many kids in schools around the Country the two true lifetime sports, Tennis and Golf.

This company was established in 2010 when Coach Greg was looking for a way to have his own son play more tennis when he happened to jam a loop hole in the multi billion dollar after-school market.

After figuring out the secret to getting his Kids Program into local schools, The Tennis Time dream was launched! Initially with just 3 schools in 2010. Tennis Time has now been featured in over 100’s of schools around the country including Atlanta, Orlando and Beverly Hills.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid Capital Requirement – $8,000 – $25,000
  • Total Investment – $8,000 – $25,000
  1. Big Blue Swim School

Big Blue Swim School specializes on creating big moments for children aged 6 months to 12 years. In purpose-built facilities designed to create a safe, welcoming environment for families, their instructors work with kids to develop swim skills that include stroke, breath, and propulsion, creating confident swimmers and building important life skills like courage, hard work, and perseverance.

These lessons encourage children to face their fears and build self-assurance – giving students the tools they’ll need to face life’s challenges through childhood into adulthood. Trained under their proprietary teacher-training program, Big Blue’s instructors strive to lead every student to a Big Moment during every class, while teachers, managers, and parents work together to focus on each child’s progress.

Lesson Buddy, the company’s robust back-end office support and proprietary software – designed and developed for the ease of the owner, staff, parents, children, and facility – allows families to easily follow their progress and connect with teachers and Big Blue staff.

Financial Requirements

  • Cash Requirement – $600,000
  • Total Investment – $1,767,500 – $3,646,000
  • Net Worth Requirement – $1,500,000
  • Franchise Fee – $50,000