Starting a Playgroup
Parents and Preschoolers Playing, Learning, Sharing in a Group
Your child can learn socialization, life skills and more from a regularly scheduled playgroup.
For stay-at-home parents, playgroup can be just what the doctor ordered.
Regularly scheduled get-togethers are a great way to introduce your child to group play and enjoying the company of other children.
Parents may see it as a way to share ideas and network with other parents, as well as a respite from the daily routine.
Why start a playgroup?
Group play is good for a child’s social skills, helps him learn in different ways, and is just plain fun!
Allowing your child to learn how to share, take turns and even imitating other children helps to bring them out of their ego-centric shells and learn valuable life lessons.
Children can learn so much from their peers. Parents may struggle to teach their preschooler how to do a puzzle, but he’ll often pick the task up simply by watching a playmate do it.
Don’t expect instant miracles. It may take months before the children stop clinging to their parents during playgroup and begin to interact.
Who should you include?
To start your own playgroup, start asking neighbors, your child’s friends’ parents and any other parents you know.
Ask parents at library story time, swim lessons or other activities you and your child attend, or post a flier with your name and phone number on the bulletin board of facilities that offer children’s activities.
Don’t be too particular about matching up exact ages. It’s good for all children to play with those younger and older than themselves.
The perfect playgroup has at least five parent-child pairs and no more than about 15 parent-child pairs.
When and how often?
Set a standing playgroup meeting day and time, once a week, once every two weeks or once a month, depending on how often you want to do this.
You can always reschedule or bow out for a session, but attendance will be better if you have a standing date and time on everyone’s calendars.
Where should we meet?
Take turns hosting playgroup to vary the surroundings. Enjoy the tire swing at one house. Get excited about the big sand box at the next house.
The host family can plan a healthy snack to serve, or it can be assigned to another parent to bring.
How should we organize this?
Having a theme or activity at each meeting will give the children something to look forward to. Young children sometimes need a structured activity planned for them or they’ll lose interest in the group and get crabby, cranky and clingy.
For a rainy day, plan to bake cookies together (and let the flour fly!). Set up the sprinkler or fill squirt guns on hot days. Or hand out sidewalk chalk or bubbles.
There is an abundance of ideas for playgroups at Suite 101’s Kids’ Activities and Kids’ Crafts.
Occasionally, plan an outing at a playground, have a picnic in the park, or go to the zoo as a group.
Help! I can’t stop playgrouping!
Your kids being in school all day doesn’t mean the end of the playgroup. School-age children will enjoy having regular get-togethers with a playgroup after school or on weekends.
You’re never too old to have fun with friends!
