New Braunfels kids are about to get a new place where climbing, jumping, solving problems and learning how to believe in themselves are all part of the same workout.
KidStrong is preparing to open its first New Braunfels location at 738 FM 306, Suite 102. The center will bring the fast-growing child-development concept to local families for the first time, serving children from crawling age through 11 with structured, coach-led classes built around much more than simply burning off energy.
Not quite a gym. Not quite a play place.
KidStrong describes its program around three pillars: strong body, strong mind and strong character. Each 45-minute class mixes movement with cognitive challenges and life skills. Depending on age, that can mean obstacle courses, balance and coordination work, climbing, agility drills, strategy games, teamwork, problem-solving and opportunities to practice leadership.
The idea is that physical activity can become the vehicle for teaching something bigger. A child might be working through an obstacle while also learning persistence. A team challenge can become a lesson in communication. Competition can teach grit and sportsmanship, while an award ceremony at the end gives coaches a chance to recognize effort and progress.
Confidence is part of the curriculum
That whole-child approach is what separates KidStrong from a traditional sports lesson. The company says its curriculum was developed with child-development experts and is designed to improve physical, cognitive and character skills together. KidStrong’s own 2023 parent survey reported that 96% saw increased self-confidence and 88% noticed improved social skills in their children.
For parents, that can translate into benefits well beyond a class. Balance, coordination and strength can help a child physically. Problem-solving and focus can help mentally. But learning to try something difficult, fail, reset and try again may be the skill that follows them everywhere.
It started with one daughter
KidStrong itself began in 2015 when Matt and Megin Sharp wanted to help their daughter, Ella, become stronger and more confident. They partnered with child-development experts and eventually with Lincoln Brown to turn that idea into a larger program. KidStrong says its original business plan was even written on a tablecloth at a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky.
That family idea has grown dramatically. KidStrong now says it has more than 160 locations serving more than 65,000 children each week across the United States and Canada. New Braunfels is about to join that map.
A first for New Braunfels families
The new center is planned inside the Coleman Retail Building on FM 306. Local reporting has also confirmed this will be KidStrong’s first New Braunfels location, with franchise owner Manuel Torres tied to the project.
The physical build-out is fairly straightforward: about 3,199 square feet of existing retail space will be converted for the center. The project carries an estimated $200,000 construction cost and is currently scheduled for work from late October 2026 through January 2027.
But the square footage is the least interesting part. For New Braunfels families, the bigger story is a new option for kids to move their bodies, challenge their brains, practice teamwork and build the confidence to tackle the next hard thing.
Sometimes getting stronger starts with lifting something heavy. Sometimes it starts with a kid realizing, “I can do this.”