ADVICE RATING |
 4.51 (Highly recommend) from 14 votes (604 Visits) |
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Playdate Peace |
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by tracey  (June 2006) (rank 7th) |
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My daughter and I gather with a group of moms and their children regularly. We've been getting together for coffee and playtime once a week with the same group for almost 2 years. There are 8 of us moms and 10 kids (2 sets of twins) and we take turns
hosting it at our homes. These moms have been a lifeline for me and the children have become my daughter's best friends. It has been a wonderful experience for everyone. Although the kids all know each other really well, power struggles, fighting, and tears still break out at almost every meeting. It's normal considering all the children are the same age and are going through the "terrible toddler" phases together. One of the benefits is that these playgroup meetings offer the perfect opportunity to teach our kids how to deal with each other in a number of social situations (perhaps the biggest lesson we teach is the importance of sharing).
I have found that our gatherings are most fun and relaxed when we offer the kids a number of play stations to particiapte in. What I mean by this is the staging of differnt areas around the house or yard (or both) for them to play at. Examples include an area of blocks, a different area for farm with farm animals, a train table, a snack table, maybe a play doh or painting place or water play station outside. It's not unlike what a preschool setting is like. When the kids have lots to choose from they are less likely to fight over the same toys. It gives them independence to move from station to station and offers plenty of variety and distraction.
Any one of the moms will tell you, it's not always smooth-sailing but for the most part, we do get to enjoy a cup of coffee and some conversation. And that's what I look forward to most!
