Ways to plan a successful playdate — for you and your child

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

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SALT LAKE CITY — It may just be me — although I'm pretty sure it's not — but I often find the walls of my humble adobe closing in on me. Suddenly my toddler has only a square foot of space to play with his seemingly dull toys. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a stay-at-home mom; but I often miss adult interaction during the days, and perhaps my son misses interacting with other children too.

When I moved to Utah a little over a year ago, I was determined to get me and my son out of the house since I was no longer teaching and he no longer had his cousin to play with. At first this proved harder than I thought it would be. But with a little bit of effort on my part, I successfully filled the past year with various playdates for my son — and let's be honest, I benefited too. I would like to share with you a few ways in which you can effectively find people to play and interact with both your children and you.

Visit public play areas. These include, but are not limited to, fast-food play places, mall play areas and parks. These areas are always crowded with other kids and moms who are seeking the same thing you are: a little reprieve from daily tasks at home. Strike up a conversation with the mom sitting next to you, and you may just find yourself enjoying her company. You will find your kids will also have a good time playing with other kids, regardless of whether or not they know them.
Join a moms’ group. I had no idea things like this even existed until I stumbled upon a group in my area when I was searching the Internet for things to do with my son. My moms' group, which is formally called MOMS Club of Weber County, has been heaven sent. Every month a calendar is put out with activities for children and their moms to participate in if they wish. I am able to pick and choose the activities that my son and I would most be interested in. One way to go about finding a similar group in your area is to check out meetup.com. Once on the homepage, click “Find a Meetup Group.” Insert your topic or interest in the box indicated (I used the word “moms”) and then enter your city or ZIP code. After you click the “Search” button, a list of groups will appear for you to choose from. Each group will have its own directions as to how to join and where its “meetups” are located.
Host a playdate. This option takes a little bit of assertiveness on your part, but I promise you it's worth it. Once you have identified people with whom you like to associate — who of course have kids around your kids’ age — take the initiative and invite them over. You don’t need to plan anything for the kids to do; you will be amazed at how kids love to play with new toys, or at least toys that are new to them. Provide room for the kids to play and perhaps a snack and drink here and there, and visit with other moms while the kids entertain themselves.
Use social media. Plan an outing for you and your child, pick a place and a time, and then post it on any social media site (Facebook and Twitter come to mind first) inviting other moms to join you. It's best to plan ahead so that it gives other moms a heads up, but not too far in advance, as they might forget. Some good ideas are picnics at the park, story time at the library, a visit to the local children’s museum, sledding and lunch dates. The options here are nearly endless. Chances are, if you think your child will have a good time on your outing, most likely other moms will think the same thing.

These four methods are by no means the only ways to set up a playdate, but they are the ones that have worked for me. I wish you luck on your journey to get yourself out of the house, out of your comfort zone and out of the monotony that life sometimes provides by filling your calendars with playdate after playdate. I promise you won’t regret it.

A native of Washington state, LeAnn Udy Mills currently resides in Harrisville, Utah. She is a mother of two and a graduate of Utah State University with a degree in elementary education.