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What is a play group
A play group consists of several children of similar ages who regularly meet at each other's homes to play. The Parent of the home plans the activities and supervises the group. Play groups generally meet once a week, and are designed to meet the needs of the children. They are not considered to be a formal child care. However the groups generally provide free time to parent's when their children are in other people's homes.

Who should be a part of the play group
A play group functions best when all children involved are at the same skill and interest level. In general children of the same age group are easier to plan activities for. The younger the children the smaller the group should be, I think we can all imagine how taxing five 3-year olds would be for an afternoon! Six children to a group is a good maximum, particularly if there is only one adult supervising the group.

Structuring your play group
Parents should meet to discuss the goals they have and the needs of their children. The play group should last only an hour or so, longer for older children.

A good way to structure a play group is to start with a planned activity, followed by a snack and then free play. Some parents might want to discuss the importance of balancing indoor and outdoor play, or the importance of naps or rest periods.

Be sure that each supervising parent has a list of emergency numbers for each child along with allergies and any medical conditions.

Transitioning your child into a play group
Talk to your child about what a play group is and what they will be doing, help them to see this as a positive experience. A play group will be a chance for them to meet new people, or learn new skills. Having a picnic or play group where parents attend is also a good way for your child to feel comfortable with the other children. Having you there will help them to understand that this is a good and safe environment.

How to start your play group
If you already have a few children/parents in mind; you will simply need to invite them over to discuss their interest in being involved. If you don't know anyone that you want to start a play group with, you will need to advertise. Hanging fliers up at your stake and or ward building, or your pediatricians office are generally safe ways to find interested parents and children. Be sure to include the age and or skill levels of the children whom you want to be involved; your name; and a way of contacting you.

Simple Structured Activities
Playgroup activities don't have to be complicated or take up a lot planning time to be fun and beneficial to the kids and moms.

Here are some fun and simple activities you can do through out the year.

Nature: Go to a local nature center and learn about native animals and plants. Take a nature walk and identify the plants, animals, birds, and/or insects you learned about in the nature center exhibits. Talk to the centers naturalist to see if you can collect nature items (feather, stick, leaf, flower, etc.) along the trail to glue to a collage.

Fire Safety: Call your local fire department and schedule a visit to the fire station. Talk to the children about the dangers of fire and what to do in case of a fire. Outdoor Fun: During warmer weather months, have a standing park date. Meet at the park to play and get some physical exercise. Rotate around the different parks in the area, and if necessary, rotate snack or drink assignments.

Story Time: Choose three related children’s books … by the same author, about a the same subject, etc. to read to the children. After reading the stories, do a couple related crafts, physical activities and sing songs that go with the overall theme. We've created a one-hour playgroup outline for you all about Animals in Winter - complete with three children's books, crafts, movement activities, finger plays and songs all designed to help the children learn about what animals do in the winter.

Teddy Bear Picnic: Let your child share a special picnic lunch with their favorite Teddy Bear or baby doll. If weather permits, hold the picnic at a local park with a shelter. If not, then either have it at the church, or at someone’s home. Spread out quilts and bed spreads to make it feel like your outdoors. Have some activities for the children that involve teddy bears and have a teddy bear shaped rice crispie treat for everyone.

Water Fun: Have everyone bring a towel and wear their bathing suit, meet at someone’s house and let the kids run through a sprinkler or play on a slip-n-slide. Have a small wading pool filled with a few inches of water for the younger children to play in. If children are older, consider having water relay activities set up for them to participate in – delegate the work, assign a different station to each participant.

Fun at the Zoo: Pack a picnic lunch, lots of drinks and spend the morning at the zoo looking at all the animals. Try and help your child learn something new about their favorite zoo animal. Check your zoo to see if your playgroup qualifies for group discounts or if there is a reduced admission day.

Plants and Gardens: Teach the children all about plants and how they grow. Read stories about planting seeds, gardens, and/or how things grow. Using paper cups, allow each child to plant 1-3 seeds… peas, beans, and sunflowers are all good choices. Bring in seeds at different stages of growth (or show them pictures from a book), so the children can see what their seeds will look like in a few days. This activity could also be paired up with a trip to a nursery or done around Earth Day.

Museums: Many museums have children friendly exhibits or sections set up especially for small children to enjoy. Science Museums, Art Museums, Natural History, all can be extremely interesting for children if done with the right approach. Consider using an “I Spy” theme, or treasure hunt concept when attending museums with young children.

Coloring Outside the Lines: Children love to paint. In someone’s unfinished basement, on an outdoor deck or patio, or on a wood/tile cultural hall floor, set up a variety of painting stations – each doing something different with paint. Station examples:

Examples from left to right - Utensil stamping, print making, marble chase, stamping.

Field day: Reserve the cultural hall and set up age appropriate physical activities for the kids… obstacle course, bean bag toss, gymnastics/dance, javelin throw (using straws), long jump, basketball, mad dash (see how long it takes to move a bucket of blocks from one bucket to the other, one block at a time). At the end, award each child with a special metal or certificate and eat popsicles.

Careers: Talk about different jobs people have in your area … doctor, dentist, construction, truck driver, nurse, letter carrier, chef, police man, fire fighter, farmer, teacher, etc.. Collect dress up clothes for the children to play in while you talk about each career. For a craft project, use construction paper to make take home costumes for one or more career. See the pictures below for ideas:

• Baby Center

 

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