How To Plan A Great Playdate

Disclosure - this is a collaborative post 

It needn’t be said that parenthood is not without its challenges. As you grow as a family, there are trials and tribulations to match the near-endless happy moments you get to enjoy with one another. Yet, although they are always overcome eventually, some of these challenges can be difficult to navigate at first. 

When your children get old enough to make their own friends – and when they, or those friends, request to see one another outside of school – it becomes your job to facilitate this. These casual events are vital for your child’s social development; however, it can be tricky to get them right. So, how do you ensure your child will enjoy their playdate without compromising the harmony of your own home in the process?

Host Outside

One of the simplest ways to maximise your at-home harmony is to situate your planned playdate outside. This allows you to avoid any unexpected (or well-anticipated) emergencies caused by spilt drinks, smeared paints or other kid-related collateral. Being outside also presents you with different opportunities for play and fun – even in the winter, provided you have warm and sheltered spaces to harbour the kids in the event of rain.

Child-Friendly Décor

First, let’s tackle making your garden a child-friendly environment – both in terms of safety and aesthetics. Old rugs are a good idea for patio surfaces, to minimise grazed knees and the transfer of dirt in-house. Soft furnishings are a must, whether outdoor furniture or simply an assortment of cushions. For lighting, you could add some solar lanterns to your outdoor space. Not only does this extend the amount of time your guests can spend outside playing, but it also imbues your garden with a twilight wonder that’s bound to make their playdate that little bit more magical.

Keep It Small

A bit of advice that could make all the difference to your first few attempts at organising child-friendly shindigs is to just keep it small. The fewer children you have to worry about, the less stress you will feel from keeping up with everything. The messy aftermath will also be minimised so it’s a win-win! Keeping your children’s guests to two or three also makes it cheaper and easier for you to feed and entertain them.

Interesting Activities

Speaking of entertainment, you should also put some time into devising activities for the children to engage in during the playdate. More often than not, children’s imaginations are enough to carry them through most playdates. However, yours might be the anxious type, or you might have a few shy guests in your midst. As such, setting up some party games for them, with you as the officiants, can make for some structured fun that also keeps everyone in check.

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Michelle