Tips for summer playdates

Meeting up with friends and their children can be a great way to pass some time while all your usual classes are cancelled. But young children are still learning about how to get along with each other so these meet ups can feel stressful – we have some ideas that might help.  

What to try 

Make sure there’s lots to play with 

Young children don’t have the skills they need to share, so make have lots of the same things available. It can also help to talk to other adults who will be there about this, so you all have the same expectations and nobody focuses on sharing or limiting toys. 

Put your toddler’s favourite toys away  

Your toddler might not understand that if another child plays with their favourite toy, they will give it back – so put their favourite things away before others arrive to avoid tears.  

Plan get togethers for when your toddler is well rested  

If your toddler feels tired, they’ll be less able to regulate their emotions.    

Manage your own expectations.  

There will be moments when your toddler might not seem to be getting along with their friend, or there is an upset over taking turns.  

This is brilliant learning for both the children and a chance to help them develop skills to make socialising easier in the future – so try not to feel panicked or upset when those moments happen. 

Give the children time to play but don’t insist they play together  

They might watch or copy each other for a bit, but playing together can involve social skills your child is still developing. Try not to go in with the expectation that they are only having fun if they are playing together and let their games evolve naturally.  

Try to plan these in places, or ways, that you will enjoy too.  

That the chance to have playdates and be social is something that you all take part in. This will be different for everyone – some people love to have others at their home and feel most relaxed there, and others might find that overwhelming so prefer to meet at a park or children’s café.  

There is no one right answer so experiment to find out your preference and don’t be afraid to plan around what you like when you invite friends to play.  

You can use your My First Five Years app to get inspiration and ideas for activities to suit your child’s needs – and so make them feel confident with other children. Take a look at the activities tab or pick out skills they’re working on and scroll down from the skill details to find all the linked activities.