If you are a SAHM, how often do you do play dates?

[Anonymous]

I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

I try to organize playdates, but I haen't had much success. I put myself out there constantly but have not made any friends really, not more than the meeting stage - doesn't get further. So not many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

That is way, way more than we do, and I feel guilty about it. We have a kid in elementary, one in preschool, and a baby. The elementary kid has a playdate probably once a month (birthday parties seem separate to me). Preschool kid never has had one. They both play with the neighbors maybe once or twice a week.

I find it really, really hard to do all the planning and driving while I still have a baby, so my oldest child suffers. I know she'd like to have friends (other than the neighbors) over more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

That is way, way more than we do, and I feel guilty about it. We have a kid in elementary, one in preschool, and a baby. The elementary kid has a playdate probably once a month (birthday parties seem separate to me). Preschool kid never has had one. They both play with the neighbors maybe once or twice a week.

I find it really, really hard to do all the planning and driving while I still have a baby, so my oldest child suffers. I know she'd like to have friends (other than the neighbors) over more.

In their circles, if there is a party, many of their mutual friends are attending the same party so we don’t try to do a play date on the same weekend as Johnny’s party.

My older child is just invited to less. I believe this has to do with there being fewer parties and parties only consisting of very few friends. Then those same friends don’t have weekly play dates either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

That is way, way more than we do, and I feel guilty about it. We have a kid in elementary, one in preschool, and a baby. The elementary kid has a playdate probably once a month (birthday parties seem separate to me). Preschool kid never has had one. They both play with the neighbors maybe once or twice a week.

I find it really, really hard to do all the planning and driving while I still have a baby, so my oldest child suffers. I know she'd like to have friends (other than the neighbors) over more.

Does your preschool child play with the neighborhood kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

That is way, way more than we do, and I feel guilty about it. We have a kid in elementary, one in preschool, and a baby. The elementary kid has a playdate probably once a month (birthday parties seem separate to me). Preschool kid never has had one. They both play with the neighbors maybe once or twice a week.

I find it really, really hard to do all the planning and driving while I still have a baby, so my oldest child suffers. I know she'd like to have friends (other than the neighbors) over more.

Does your preschool child play with the neighborhood kids?

There are no neighborhood kids sadly. We have a classmate who lives about .75 miles away but across a super busy street. There is a little girl who lives across the street but both her parents work and the kid goes to daycare all day. Our evenings and weekends are busy with the big kids.

[Anonymous]

Also sahm to 3 kids w/ youngest on preschool - OP, have you tried staying after preschool and letting your kid play with his classmates (and other prescholers)?
Or even sign up for lunch bunch?

Our preK is over at 12, but we often dont get home until 1ish b/c theres a bunch of kids who play outside afterwards on the prek playground or on the adjacent grassy hill. I'll bring along a snack and water, too, to draw out the playtime. I've also made a few mom friends while there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 3 kids - 1 in preschool and 2 in elementary. My older kids have a lot of activities and sports after school. My 3rd grader has about 1 play date or birthday party per week. My 5th grader has probably 1 play date or birthday party per month. My preschool child goes to preschool twice per week and we do 1 play date per week.

Just curious how often others are playing.

We don’t live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids so all play dates need parent planning and driving.

That is way, way more than we do, and I feel guilty about it. We have a kid in elementary, one in preschool, and a baby. The elementary kid has a playdate probably once a month (birthday parties seem separate to me). Preschool kid never has had one. They both play with the neighbors maybe once or twice a week.

I find it really, really hard to do all the planning and driving while I still have a baby, so my oldest child suffers. I know she'd like to have friends (other than the neighbors) over more.

Does your preschool child play with the neighborhood kids?

PP here. Yes our preschooler plays with the neighborhood kids.

We also do what another pp mentioned and hang out at the playground after school sometimes. My kids definitely play with other kids, but it’s not often a specific friend invited to play one-on-one at our house. I think that type of play date is important for learning to share (young kids) and developing closer friendships (older kids) and I feel guilty we don’t do it more.

[Anonymous]

I‘m a SAHM of three, one K, one preschool and one baby. The Ker and PKer share playdates with friends who have same-age siblings twice per month and the preschooler has play dates weekly right after preschool. You can make it super lowkey by e-mailing the pre-K class list (hey, we‘re heading to Local Playground after school; anyone who wants to join, let‘s hang out!). People started doing that at our school and it really took off.

[Anonymous]

Probably about 4-5 times a week. I want my kids to be good at socializing.

[Anonymous]

SAHM to 2 (preschooler and infant). We've never done a playdate. Preschooler gets plenty of socializing at school all day. When he's not at school, we take him to playgrounds, museum tot rooms, and other places where he meets and plays with other kids.

Infant isn't old enough yet but we'll follow the same pattern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also sahm to 3 kids w/ youngest on preschool - OP, have you tried staying after preschool and letting your kid play with his classmates (and other prescholers)?
Or even sign up for lunch bunch?

Our preK is over at 12, but we often dont get home until 1ish b/c theres a bunch of kids who play outside afterwards on the prek playground or on the adjacent grassy hill. I'll bring along a snack and water, too, to draw out the playtime. I've also made a few mom friends while there.

Op here. Our preschool does carpool lane so we can’t linger. I don’t think we are allowed to park and play on school premises when school is in session. My kid goes 8:30-11:30 but there are other classes that are 9-3 and then there is extended care using playgrounds as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I‘m a SAHM of three, one K, one preschool and one baby. The Ker and PKer share playdates with friends who have same-age siblings twice per month and the preschooler has play dates weekly right after preschool. You can make it super lowkey by e-mailing the pre-K class list (hey, we‘re heading to Local Playground after school; anyone who wants to join, let‘s hang out!). People started doing that at our school and it really took off.

Our class has done a few play dates where entire class is invited. That accounts for a few of the play dates my child has done.

My preschool child still naps and so do most of her classmates. I guess things may change next year when they are 4. I could see myself asking to meet up at a playground after pick up or eat lunch at our house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I‘m a SAHM of three, one K, one preschool and one baby. The Ker and PKer share playdates with friends who have same-age siblings twice per month and the preschooler has play dates weekly right after preschool. You can make it super lowkey by e-mailing the pre-K class list (hey, we‘re heading to Local Playground after school; anyone who wants to join, let‘s hang out!). People started doing that at our school and it really took off.

Our class has done a few play dates where entire class is invited. That accounts for a few of the play dates my child has done.

My preschool child still naps and so do most of her classmates. I guess things may change next year when they are 4. I could see myself asking to meet up at a playground after pick up or eat lunch at our house.

The nice thing about the whole class play dates is that it’s super low-pressure, sometime everyone shows up, sometimes only three kids. My 3 year old still naps, too, but I just push it back on those days because he‘s so happy to play with friends. It’s also how I met the mom of his best friends, so now we have solo play dates on other days.

[Anonymous]

SAHM with infant and preschool (3 yr old). My 3 yr old goes to preschool 3 days a week with a lot of play, so I feel like that is sufficient. She also goes to a fair number of birthday parties. We have various friends with kids that we probably see at least once a month, so the kids will play while adults hang out. These are generally people we became friends with when our first children were babies. In the summertime, the neighborhood kids are out and about so maybe we'll play with them for a little bit like once a week or something.

As far as setting up playdates, though, I've actually found it can be kind of difficult. It's hard to match up schedules, and then often when you do, someone gets sick and you have to cancel. I've had playdates with two of my daughter's preschool classmates, but they are only children with SAHM's, so their schedule is less complicated. Once you're trying to set up a playdate with someone who has multiple children, maybe of ages that don't match with yours, it can get tricky. I've kind of given up on formal playdates.