Organising Fun Playdates
Organising fun play dates will be relatively easy if you already know other children in your neighborhood, but if you are new to the area, be sure to chat to other parents you encounter at the playground, or attend any baby and/or toddler activity groups at your local library to make new friends. It also might be worth placing a small ad in your local newspaper, especially if you live in a fairly isolated area with no other families living close by. You can arrange to meet up at a park for your first play date, to get to know each other.
A play date at home
It’s best to have just one other child at home play dates, as involving more children might result in one being left out. Make sure the other child is as close to your child’s age and developmental ability as possible, and arrange games and activities in advance so that the children are actively playing and not glued to the television.Ahead of the play date, check your childproofing! If you’ve been at all lax when it comes to installing plug socket covers or safety gates, fix that now because while your toddler might have learned to navigate stairs it’s possible the other child won’t have. If you have pets check if this will be a problem – if there are no pets in the other child’s home, they may well be nervous and agitated around your dog or cat so it might be best to keep the pet outside when the play date takes place.
Tips for a successful play date
- Schedule the play date for when your child is well-rested and not tired or hungry – you definitely don’t want tantrums occurring. A good time is first thing in the morning or right after your baby or toddler’s nap. Depending on your baby or toddler’s age, an hour is usually a good length of time for a play date – you can extend it if things are going well, and of course cut it short if all hell breaks loose or one of the children starts to get tired and cranky.
- Stay close by to supervise the action – leaving babies or toddlers unsupervised is dangerous, especially if one of the children in the equation is unused to their surroundings. Initially, you can involve yourself in their play, so they can become used to each other, before withdrawing to watch from nearby.
- If the playmate’s parents aren’t staying, do
take the precaution of taking a contact number so you can call them if
any problems or emergencies arise during the play date. Also check with
them what you should do if their child were to appear unwell or have an
accident during the play date – should you contact them first and if
they are unreachable for some reason, are they happy for you to take
their child to casualty if necessary?
- Take the precaution of
putting away your child’s most treasured toys. One of the points of
play dates is that your child is learning to share and she will likely
be unwilling to share her favorites. This can cause tantrums if the
other child zeroes in on your child’s favorite as the toy they want to
play with. Wherever possible, have multiples (or similars) of the toys
your child and her playmate will be playing with, as this will help to
avoid tears when they want to play with the same toy.
- Plan things to do that don’t necessarily involve toys – your child and her playmate will have great fun chasing bubbles, for example, or modeling with playdough or painting (if the play date will involve messy play or crafts, do warn the other child’s parents so they don’t dress her in her Sunday best!). Games where the children take turns are great for encouraging sharing and cooperation, and putting on some music to dance to can stop a tantrum in its tracks.
- If you see the children
grabbing toys from each other, don’t be too quick to step in – it’s
quite possible they may just ignore each other. If problems do arise,
use distraction to divert tears, but keep in mind that if one of them
becomes aggressive you may need to separate them until they calm down.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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