Does Anyone Host or Attend Playgroups for Children?

[mjaclyn]

My DD is almost 16 months old but hasn't really had any interaction with children her age. I've been taking her to the local Barnes & Noble recently for story time (which she LOVES), but most of the children are older than she is and it's not really a 'play' kind of atmosphere. I've wanted to get DD together with some kids her own age so she can start to learn how to interact with them. So, last week I asked a few local moms I know if they'd be interested in starting a playgroup on Friday mornings. Everyone seemed to like the idea so today was the first one. There are three other children in the group at ages 22 months, 18 months and 16 months. DD is the youngest in the group but she seemed to play well with the other kids. All the moms had a great time. The kids were so cute! We're going to start rotating where we have it - each week it will be at a different mom's house, but I'm so glad I did this! DD really had fun playing with the kids and I think it will be a good lesson in sharing for her when they're at our house.

Does anyone else have their children in a playgroup? I'm just wondering how common this is...

[murphy1]

I have always done playgroups. I had to leave a couple b/c of the drama (as we all know that's just part of life sometimes), I like that they are informal. I did a lot of Gymboree with the girls, too and I met a couple of ladies who are very good friends now.Once you get to preschool, they meet lots of friends and you can socialize at their little parties.

[SAHDad]

I'd like to get my kids into a playgroup, but the most active local one (of which I am aware) is MOPS (http://www.mops.org/). And, as you may guess from my nom de board, I am a Stay At Home Dad. Most playgroups either actively exclude me (such as does MOPS), or subtly and strongly discourage my attendance.

[Flower]

When I was off on mat leave, all of my friends got pregnant! Right now there are about 10 of us off from work on mat leave, and I am on a 1 year leave of absence.

We try to get together at least once a month with the little ones, and we try to get out once a month as just the girls.

We often:
:mickey:Have a pot-luck lunch at someones house
:mickey:Meet for walks or public swims
:mickey:Meet at the local community centre/library
:mickey:We have 2 area kids play places that are like mini indoor gymnasiums for kids aged 0-5 yrs. They have exersaucers and floor mats for the babies. They are pretty neat, most of the play climbers are made from sturdy vinyl and there are indoor jumping castles & ball pools.
:mickey:With the kids Brandons age (4), we will sometimes just get together at a McDonalds play centre so they can run around and the parents can chat.
:mickey:In the summer we will meet at are parks


For girls night we will just go to a local restaurant for dinner, and maybe some :wine:

I'd love to hear what other moms & dads do too!

[Kidsmom]

I was always in Play groups when my kids were little. Some great and treasured friendships came out of those days and still continue (for Mom and children).

I was just talking to my brother who stays home and suggested he create a play group for other men in his area. More and more men stay home and it helps with the isolation all new parents feel.

I suggested putting something in their local weekly paper and something in the bulletin at church.

Any men out there with other ideas??

[tinkwest]

I have been a part of a play group for about 8 years. Nothing formal. Just friends getting together. It started with children ranging from around 1 yr old to 9 yrs old. We meet every Friday afternoon at a local park. The youngest are now around 10 yrs old. My DD is now 17 and no longer attends, but I still do when work allows. It is just as important for the adults to have the time together as it is for the kids. We have men, women, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, kids, dogs,etc. Some come faithfully. Some show up only on occasion. Some Fridays every one will bring a snack, sometimes no one will. Nothing is ever planned in advance or set in stone, other than the fact that we meet Friday afternoon at the same spot in the park. It is great interaction and I, personally, have made some great friends through this group and enjoyed watching the children grow & mature over the years.

[magicofdisney]

When my first son was born I organized a playgroup with other moms from my church. There were 10 of us in all maybe a 6mos difference between the oldest and the youngest. It was wonderful! We'd alternate homes each week and go on mini field trips once in a while.

And what's so cool is that now, 10yrs later, our kids are still good friends (with the moms developing strong bonds) going to each others birthday parties and such. Some have moved on but we still have a core group that gets together occasionally.

[Dakota Rose]

I did the play-group thing, library story time and MOPS until DS started preschool last fall. We still get together on school holidays and during the summer. We even take "field trips" and go to a family farm, the pool, park or zoo.

I really recommend MOPS, too. You get time with other moms and kids get time with other kids. So nice! And sometimes you can also find Moms Clubs in bigger towns.

Have fun! :)