Starting a Playgroup

Starting A Playgroup

A number of years ago, families tended to stay near relatives and live in the community where they were raised. Because of that, families got together much more frequently than they do in our current culture and small children spent time with other small children just in the course of getting to know their relatives. Because we are a much more mobile society than we were twenty or thirty years ago, young parents sometimes find that they need to create opportunities for their young child to be around other children.

Sometime between eighteen months and two years, opportunities to socialize with similar age children become much more important. During this time period, children are beginning to develop functional communication and expand their play skills. One of the important skills being developed is how to play with other children. Adults are important playmates throughout the child’s life but certain skills can only be gained by interacting with peers. During the period between two and three years, children are moving from independent play to parallel play and toward early cooperative play. Many of the same skills needed to play cooperatively with peers are the skills children need as they get older to interact successfully with other children and adults.

There are many commercially available opportunities for young children to interact with peers. A number of these are listed in the materials provided on this website, including Mother’s Day Out programs, classes at the YMCA and Children’s Museum, etc. Not everyone, however, chooses to use these options routinely. Another low cost and very satisfying option is setting up a playgroup for your child.

The easiest thing, of course, is to find an existing play group. Many neighborhoods have Associations and some will even have listings of ongoing playgroups in their directory or newsletter. Some churches also facilitate setting up playgroups for their members. You may find that either there are not any existing playgroups or the ones you contact just don’t fit your needs. If this is the case, you may choose to start a playgroup yourself.

*Decide what your goal is for your playgroup. Will every parent take a turn hosting the group? Will all parents stay or will you take turns running the group while other parents leave? How many children will be in the group? What age ranges do you want to include? How will you decide on rules for running the group?

*How do you find other parents to participate? A couple of ways were suggested above: advertise in your homeowners’ association newsletter or your church newsletter. Another good way to find families who are compatible with your style and interests is to approach families you have known in other settings: friends of your older children may have siblings the same age as your playgroup age child. You may have friends in other activities with similar age children who would be interested in a playgroup. You can even actively watch for parents and children when you go to your neighborhood park and talk to some of these parents about your interest in an ongoing playgroup.

*The younger the child, the fewer number of children you will want in the group. A good size to start with is 4-8 children.

*Talk about safety issues and how to manage problem behaviors when they occur. This is an age where social skills are just beginning to develop and children have very few strategies for handling conflict. One of the things you want your child to begin to understand is that he can’t always have exactly what he wants every time he wants it. For your child and the other children to work through acquiring these skills, you will want to have strategies in place for addressing the inevitable conflicts.

*Simple is usually better, at least at first. Young children do best with simple toys with a number of similar toys available. At this age, children are generally physically active and toys that allow them to move around are wonderful. Toys can be as simple as a number of balls, some wooden building blocks, a set of plastic dishes and some dolls. A tape player or CD player with children’s music is a great background for play. As you begin to see how children are playing, you can add some trucks (several so everyone can have one) or more doll equipment so children can expand on their play.

*Most people find that picking a consistent day to hold the group works best; some have weekly groups and some every other week. The length of time also depends on the age of the child and parental preference but generally 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours works out well.

*Young children do best with predictability. Schedules can be very simple but it is best to keep it the same week after week. Most groups follow a similar schedule to the one below but whatever works for your group is fine.

+Children arrive and play with toys set out and available (30-45 min.)

+Adults run a small group/music time singing songs, playing with simple musical instruments and doing fingerplays. It is perfectly alright to repeat the same songs each time. Remember, children this age like repetition. (15 min)

+Simple snack. Parents may want to bring their own or host can provide. (10 min)

+Adults may introduce a simple art activity. Children may or may not participate. It is fine for them to play instead. (15 min)

+Children return to free play. Parents may add some new toys to the mix.
(30 min.)

Remember, the point of this group is for your child to have fun with peers. It really does not need to be elaborate to provide a wonderful opportunity for you and your child.