Bring the fun indoors
By BETH VRABEL for Smart
Kathy Carlisle, Manchester Township mom of Abigail, 3, and Hannah, 5, knows how to throw a play date.
Carlisle has been a member of the MOMS Club of West York for about five years. She has seen good play dates go bad from too few ground rules. She has seen teetering play dates saved with a few good snacks.
When Carlisle first joined the group, about six moms whose children were about 1 or younger got together and chatted while the babies played. They could sip coffee and nibble on cake. “And then we all started having our second kids,” said Carlisle, with a laugh.
Soon, the moms split their play dates into smaller, more manageable groups. Her advice: If the kids are younger than 2, limit the group to no more than five. If they’re older, limit it to four.
Play date tips
• Prepare your child. Tell your child that friends will be coming over to play, and give him a chance to put away his favorite loveys.
• Have some snacks. Kids inevitably will be starving five minutes into a play date. Good winter snack options include graham crackers and fruit. Carlisle likes mandarin oranges or grapefruit sections. Put out some coffee cake and hot tea or coffee for those moms lucky enough to have mellow kids.
• Unplug the TV. “The kids just go and sit there and you wonder, ‘Why are you here?’ ” Carlisle said.
• Set expectations. “Certainly whoever hosts gets to have house rules,” Carlisle said. Don’t hesitate to announce that shoes should be taken off at the door or that food doesn’t leave the kitchen. Let everyone know what time the play date ends. (Two hours is about long enough, Carlisle said.)
• Have a plan. Children younger than 2 are usually satisfied with free play and not a lot of structure. For preschool-age kids, have some simple crafts planned, such as cutting out paper snowflakes or making pinecone bird feeder. See "Play date themes" below for other fun ideas.
Kathy Carlisle's play date themes
• Helping feathered friends: Ask each guest to bring a pine cone. Fill pie tins with bird seed and put out a few tubs of peanut butter. Ask the kids to smear peanut butter around their pine cones and roll them in bird seed. When the kids go home, they can hang their birdfeeders outside. Just make sure they’re placed by a window so the kids can check on their “friends,” Carlisle said.
• Pancake breakfast: Tell guests to come in pajamas and bring along a favorite pancake topper — sliced bananas, strawberry jam, whipped cream, blueberries — for a morning play date. “Jelly is a good option to spread on and not drip around like syrup,” Carlisle said. For an added touch, read “If You Give A Pig a Pancake,” by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond.
• Serve Green Eggs and Ham: Plan a morning play date in early March to honor Dr. Seuss’ March 2, 1904, birthday. Start off with a viewing of “The Cat in the Hat.” Meanwhile, mix up scrambled eggs dyed green with food coloring. Serve with ham, and afterward read a few Dr. Seuss books or color Dr. Seuss coloring pages. (Download them for free from about.com.)
SMART TIP As the play date ends: Start singing this song: “Clean up! Clean up! Everybody, every where! Clean up! Clean up! Everybody does their share!”
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