Together with a few other like-minded Moms (that does not want to send their children to kindy/nursery at an early age), we have started 'structured' playgroups and been doing it once a week since the end of last year.
Many have been asking about what exactly it is and how does it differ from the normal 'playgroup'...
For one, most playgroup is only 'play'. We put some kind of 'structure' into ours so our children can get the opportunity to learn/explore together other than just playing together (though I am pretty sure they learn lots when they play together, too).
So, what exactly do we do? Once a week, we meet up for 4-5 hours. We will usually meet around 11-11.30am at someone's place. Lunch is usually the first agenda, unless we were to swim for that day or the host has some activity in mind that is not suitable for after lunch.
Lunch and chit chat (while the children play freely with each other) usually takes around 90 mins to 2 hours, after which, the host for the day (or someone) will share with us the activity of the day. The sharing is totally up to the host and it can be something from reading a book to having fun with crafts (I will start posting about play ideas later). Depending on what exactly we are doing, this can take about 1 hour to 90 minutes.
The playgroup usually ends around 3-4pm.
4 comments:
i used to run playgroup, under buddhist society once a week before the birth of my twins. only 2 hours...all moms also tired like mad liao, haha....
btw, jess, did u receive my email? I sent it to peekaroobaby@gmail.com. just to confirm since no reply from you :p
Hi Jess.. this is an interesting idea.. is there any suitable age to join the group? er.. i mean .. certain play is not suitable for certain age, and certain play bore those toddlers right? how should this go about eh?
Hi, Mummy to QiQi,
That's why we take turns hosting and we have some structured activities to keep them occupied. There's less hassle and more fun when we do something together with them ;)
Hi Zoora,
Thank you :) It's totally up to you and your group. Of course, it will be a good thing to have little ones of similar age together so they have a similar level of understanding. Makes it easier for the host to plan. Otherwise, you need to plan activities to cater for all the different ages. In our group, the main group consists of little ones from age 3-4. Their little siblings tag along but does not participate in the activities.
Your playgroup sounds fun! I joined in the expat Mums playgroup here before my tot attended preschool. Hope to join you when I'm back in Penang :)
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