RE: Playgroup

This meant to be a comment:

It's great that you do that! Hmmm... ideas... here's our routine: arrive between 9-9.15, sit together in a circle and sing hello song (each kid is welcomed individually with its name, and the specific kid is playing with a triangle. It's fun to watch how the kids have learnt how to play the triangle each week a little better and now they do it on their own, and can't wait until it's their turn), 3 more gesture games/stories/songs (the same each time, so the kids have time to learn and join the Moms continually), 9:30 free play (while Moms start chatting at the same time) and one activity is offered (finger painting on different items is big, we did baking, and I posted most of the other things), 9:50 pick up toys then song to go wash hands, kids and Moms build a long chain and go to bathroom, 10 sit together for snack (we start after a rhyme where a dwarf and 3 animals appear, we have real puppets and each animal hopps around the table from kid to kid, they absolutely LOVE passing them on!), Mom discussion starts automatically (no specific topics, whatever comes up, funnily we are usually struggling with the same things at the same time), around 10:30 kids get up and free play (the instructor watching them), us Moms stay at the table and do some more chatting (it's really all about us chatting!!!!), 2 Moms go to clean dishes, 10:50 pick up time again, playing swing with each kid in a blanket and the specific song (u saw my pics), circle again with everyone, one more (gesture)game (I will post one soon) and good bye song. 11 over. I guess the most amazing part is to watch the kids be excited for every single song (they know which one will be next), learn the songs bit by bit and do their own gestures (very same routine every time), they also interact more and more with each other and learn each others names (free play) plus they have many toys (different from home). We also have an email list, which we use to share information, pics, book recommendations, events, organize birthday gifts etc. You could also do a parcour - our last playgroup used to be in a gym with lots of things to climb over etc. You could make a drumset (empty can, span rubber baloon across opening, papier mâché all over to fix it, color, tie two together), Lenara loves to put things in a cardboard tube (from carpet) as a tunnel (cars, blocks, anything, she tries to find out what fits in the hole), its fun if you have it run down from the couch or two people (kid + Mom) holding it (vary speed), Lenara loves to organize postcards... hmm that's my input for now. ;)

P.S. of course we add some seasonal flavor each week - I forgot to mention. Like we have been having Advent decoration on the table and sing one advent song before having breakfast together. Or we had fall decoration and a lantern walk song (a couple of times) or made the leave circle (remember my post?). Or we went out to play in the snow.