Being a stay at home mom or dad can be a challenging task. Finding a healthy balance between socialization and personal time can often lead to burnout. However, hosting a play date can help moms and dads not only meet other stay at home parents but also introduce some healthy socialization time to their children.
It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed when planning your first play date. Consideration for the children, as well as their parents or guardians are an important first step when planning your first play date. But planning a play date need not be too difficult—with just a little planning, you will can host the greatest play date for your children and their buddies!
Use these 5 easy ideas to host the greatest play date ever!
Pick a Time and Place
Since each child has a different nap or snack time, be sure to respect this when deciding on the time and date of the play date. Most parents appreciate play dates that are in the late morning before lunch or later in the afternoon. Asking the moms and dads what times would work best for their child and arranging a time that would work for everyone is another option for deciding a play date time.
Choosing a play date location requires a little planning. If you choose to have a play date in the park, be sure to check the weather, parking situation, and safety of the area before planning. Another option is to host your play date at your home and offering coffee and snacks to the parents.
Decide the Number of Kids to Invite
Remember, a typical play date lasts anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours.
For your first time hosting a play date, keep the number of children invited to a minimum. Start with a couple of parents and children, if possible, choose children your family is already close to. This will help you feel less stressed when planning and hosting many people and your child will be more comfortable with the idea of play dates. The play date will also be a great chance for you to meet other parents and children easier because the play date will be more intimate.
Share a Toy
Since you will oversee the snacks and entertainment, ask each child to bring a toy or of their own to play with at the play date. This is particularly important if the children are of different ages. This is also a great way for children to learn about sharing.
Organize Everything
Some parents may be hesitant about hosting a play date at their home because they will have to clean the house. No worries— pick a couple of rooms for your guest to mingle and play in the home and only tidy up those rooms. I like to use my kitchen and family room for entertaining, so I keep those rooms clean for play date. I also will clean the bathroom for the use of parents and little ones. Additionally, if you have pets you may consider placing them in a separate room for the safety of the guests and pet.
Plan an Activity
Much of a typical play date will consist of play time and snack time, but it is also fun to plan an enjoyable activity that both children and the parents will enjoy. It could be as simple as reading a story to the children to a dance party, playing a game, or a craft activity. This will encourage all the guests to get to know one another.
