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How To Start A Playgroup
by Crystal Dupay
There are many benefits to joining a playgroup. Your children have
the opportunity to form friendships and play with someone other than a
sibling. It also gives us mothers a chance to get out of the house and
actually speak to an adult other than the mail carrier. Adult conversation
is so important to maintaining sanity when you are home with small children
24 hours a day. Learn about how to start your own playgroup here!
Where to start
Within a playgroup you can find other mothers with whom to talk about
things that others just don't understand. Sleeping problems, potty training,
and sibling rivalry are just a few of the topics that I have discussed
with my stay-at-home mom (SAHM) friends and have gained valuable insight.
When I begin to feel like I'm failing as a mom, they are always there to
provide support and reassurance. So how can you find these angels of mercy?
First, look for an already established club. Check bulletin boards in
your pediatrician's office for information about local playgroups, hang
out at the park and ask around about a group, or ask local churches to
see if they have a program for moms and kids. Check with the manager of
local children's clothing stores or enroll your child in a group such as
Gymboree® or Kindermusik® and meet other mothers there.
If there is not a group in progress in your area, check with your SAHM
friends to see if they are interested in getting together on a regular
basis. If you don't know any other SAHMs, strike up a conversation with
moms that you see at the mall, park, or doctor's offices. Chances are,
if they are there during office hours, they aren't working during the day
and would probably love the opportunity to meet other moms.
How to organize?
Once you have found interested moms and kids, then you must decide
as a group how to organize your club. Some groups are very informal while
others are quite structured. The larger the group, the more organization
is needed to make things run smoothly.
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Fewer than 10 members
Here are some ideas for small groups with 10 moms or fewer:
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Decide on a location for the group to meet. Informal groups usually
meet in the homes of the members. Of course you would limit the number
of children in each playgroup to no more than 4-6 in a home setting. More
than that can bring more chaos than fun and the last thing a SAHM needs
is more housework after her house has been turned upside down by a large
group of children.
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Decide on a day and time to meet. Meeting on a regular schedule
will allow everyone to plan around the playgroup and therefore you will
have greater participation.
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Before you begin holding playgroups, you will want the mothers to
meet and discuss parenting philosophies. Fewer problems will arise if everyone
knows what is expected of their children in terms of behavior.
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Discuss what refreshments the host mom will be expected to provide
and what the other mothers should bring for the children.
Groups of 10 or more
Larger groups of mothers (more than 10) can plan a wider variety of
activities. Some groups have officers, committees, and dues in order to
provide these activities to the club.
Below are some suggestions for groups of more than 10 moms:
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Meet with the mothers to decide on officers. If your club will charge
dues, a treasurer will need to be selected and the group should vote on
how the money is to be spent. The amount charged for dues will be directly
related to how many activities are planned. One of the officers should
be chosen to plan activities.
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In a large group, the members will need to be divided into smaller playgroups
if plans are to hold them in individual homes. The suggestions given above
for smaller playgroups should be followed for these smaller subgroups.
If the entire group intends to meet for play, a large gym or hall will
need to be secured in order to accommodate everyone. Dues should be used
to cover such expenses.
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Visiting a children's museum, taking a tour of a farm or factory,
or visiting a children's playplace such as Discovery Zone® are just
some of the things the entire group can do together. Having the typical
holiday parties, providing crafts for the kids to do, and playing such
children's games as "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "Musical Chairs" are things
that can be done when the group meets in a gym or other large area.
Other activities
Some groups enjoy getting the mothers together without the children
occasionally just to give them a break and enjoy some uninterrupted adult
conversation. Meeting at a restaurant or seeing a movie together are a
couple of ideas. Some groups plan weekend retreats for moms only.
Community service projects are something that a large group can carry
out quite nicely. Including the children in these acts of service are a
great way to show them how good it feels to help others. The possibilities
in this area are endless but a couple of examples would be providing a
battered women's shelter with the clothing your children have outgrown,
volunteering to serve at a soup kitchen, or visiting with the elderly.
Joining a playgroup can help you and your children get the most out
of these "at-home" years. It has definitely made a difference in mine.
Links, information and more for you
 More activities for kids
The Playgroup Handbook (book)
Directory of family articles
Directory of all articles
About the author: Crystal Dupay is a stay-at-home mom living in West Virginia with her husband and two toddler daughters. Although she stays quite busy with home and family, she enjoys writing and publishes a web site for stay-at-home moms called Main Street Mom. The purpose of the site is to network other mothers at home for support as well as humor, discussion, inspirational stories and more.
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