Anybody NOT join any paying playgroups and doing great?

[bekyboo44]

I think it depends what you are paying for. I have no problem paying, for example, for my 7.5 mnth old to go to a swimming playgroup but I do have a problem paying for my son to go to one of these brand name playgrps which I didn't like.

Playgrps are great for babies and children of any age but my point is that Mums and babies meeting- at the pool, at the beach, at the plaza, at each others hses is just as beneficial and I think a lot more fun for everyone.

When my little one is walking I plan to send him to playgrp in DB so that he can socialise and get ready for kindergarten which he will start when he's three. Fortunetly there are no brand name playgrps in DB just good old fashioned ones where kids get to play with toys and paint and sing and dance!!!!

 

[carang]

having taught at playgroups that you pay for and from meeting friends with our kids, i can say both have advantages, depending on your requirements


if you read some threads on here and other websites, there are some people out there that have no idea what to do with their little ones, what milestones they should be reaching, what is "normal"(used VERY broadly...i hate the expression, myself), or even have a hard time meeting other mums/dads, etc due to work commitments.

there's NO NEED to go to a pay-for playgroup (my own son has only ever attended if i was teaching), but some parents get reassurance from them.

that said, if you are a confident parent who doesn't feel the need to "keep up with the jones's" then you probably won't get anything out of a playgroup that you couldnt' organise yourself.

another major problem in hk is space. not everyone here lives in a 2000', 4 bedroom flat with facilities. people in much smaller accomodations tend to join more activities to get them out of the house (although i find this ironic... if they took all of the $$$ they spent on all of these activities and applied it to rent, they might be able to afford a bigger place with facilities...)

anyway, my 2 cents...

 

[bbc mom]

Personally at 7mths I think it's a waste of money to pay for playgroups. Wait until they are older and mobile so they can get much more out of it.

It may also depend on whether your babies are ready. I waited until my LO was 1yr before joining mother/baby groups, but this proved difficult because he had such bad stranger anxiety that he would cry continuously. Even meeting at each other's places would set him off, so it didn't really work out for us.

I also tried one of those gym places but he cried again. I felt the instructors were too much in your face and my LO felt too pressurised to take part. They also crammed in too many activities in too short a time.

I gave it some time then at 1.5yrs I joined a HKPPA playgroup, which he absolutely loves. My son has always been a bit reserved, but I can see the change in him and it's done wonders for his confidence and social development. He gets to play freely and at his own pace with lots of indoor and outdoor toys/activities, helps to tidy up, then there's snack time, story time and finally singing/dancing.
Of course you can still do all of this at home, but we live in a small flat and I'd rather not have sand, rice and water etc all over the floor and walls!

Since starting at this playgroup, we've also gone back to meeting up with other moms and babies at our homes again and he's been ok, so that's a big plus.

By the way, there's an 8mth old in the HKPPA playgroup but he never seems very interested in the toys and always falls asleep halfway through the session! Definitely wait until they are walking and down to one nap a day.

 

[loupou]

I get confused, isn't there pre-school at 3+ to go to? Our babies are only 7 months old but I feel the pressure to pay for them to attend something! hahahaha

Some nursery schools start as young as 2 years old. Most kindergartens start at 3 years old (K1).

We started our eldest as a nursery school when she was two years old. We waited until 2 1/2 for the second. We wanted more Chinese language for them before starting kindie.


When they were real babies, no classes or other things. But, I did belong to a group of friends who had a "baby group" and sometimes we'd get together and eat and chat and let the kids crawl around on the floor.

 

[msmslau]

if you are staying at home full time, i guess you prob don't need to join a playgroup since you can teach and take the little one out to places. he will learn a great deal that way. but if you work, i can see the value of playgroup since your DH prob won't have the bandwidth to teach.

i personally don't enrol my 2 yr daughter to any playgroup since we have enough activities to occupy her. but if it comes to learning technical skills like piano, ballet, drawing, language etc, then i think it's worth spending the money.

 

[somebodyfamous]

thanks so much everyone for a great insight into playgroups! It's very useful to read and hear!!

 

[mosmom]

hello there, maybe another interesting thing to mention is that lots of parents wish their babies to join playgroups to let them 'socialise' with other kids. i don't know all about pedagogy, but i know some: kids that young (less than 3 yrs old) simply do not/are not able to socialise with other kids as elder kids do. they're way too preoccupied with themselves! i taught several playgroups before, and in each one the child acted more as an 'individual' rather than a sociable being. developmentally, i think they're just not ready to socialise. maybe something to consider :grouphug: what are your observations?

 

[carang]

well, to a certain extent you are right. a 6 month old has no idea that anyone that is not within their eyesight exists.

however, my son has LOVED playing with other kids (especially older ones) since he was about 18 months. now that he's just over two, well he;s getting closer to 2.5, he loves playing with everyone. he even tries to get his 4 month old sister in on it, by giving her toys...

i think that leaving it too late, might put the child at a slight disadvantage. but only slight and for a very short time. afterall, if you take your kids to the pool, park, playground etc, they ARE socialising...

 

[JoTs]

What I don't get here is that most of the playgroups seem to need you to sign up and pay for a whole term right at the beginning. Back home I am used to going to playgroups, but they are generally just drop in places where you might pay a couple of pounds on the door, more a chance for me to socialise rather than my son!

My son is way too young for anything formal yet (19 months), but it's nice to go to meet other mums - but I don't want to have to commit to every week because I've paid for it...

 

[fly]

There's no one-size-fits all answer, but our son has been in playgroup since 5 months (1-2 days a week, 2 hrs/day), and he wasn't the youngest one there either! Now he's 18 month, and I like to think that he's picked up some level of socialization skills, appreciation of a routine (playtime, storytime, etc.), and dealing with new faces, adults and kid variety. If you search around, you will find there are some very reasonable groups out there where the instructors aren't "in your face" or there is not a huge outlay financial commitment to begin with.