Since the last post, I have been taking my kid (referred to as kiddo to keep it simple) to playgroups so my wife can focus on her work at home. Kiddo’s schedule this month is a lot more busy: with one toddler gym class, two playgroup classes and a trainer to help with kiddo’s physical acumen. This means for at least 4 days a week, he will have exposure and interaction with the outside world, leaving 1-2 days for other activities.

The classes emphasize parent-child interaction via the activities, but the tendency is that the adult will be doing most of the work. All this is good for the kid, but we soon realized that the logistics involved can be quite an undertaking, especially when you do multiple times each week, the tiredness gradually builds up.

Based on the 2 months experience of taking kiddo to classes, the following are 8 factors (3 points  of consideration and 5 actions to take about playgroups) on choosing, attending, and continuing education from there:

3 POINTS YOU SHOULD FIRST CONSIDER

Playgroups should be enjoyable for both parent and child…ESPECIALLY the child

Playgroup is the first proper experience where the child will be interacting with kids of similar age whom they are not familiar of. This is for them to get themselves to interact, with people they don’t know in places they are not familiar with, and become comfortable and willing to do so. During the course, we also learn more about themselves as their personality and responses will show. Therefore, this stage of interaction should be a pleasant and fun one, so that they will not fear the outside world.

Whether the playgroup fits in with your concerns

Previously, I mentioned taking precautions for COVID-19 when we take kiddo for his activities. This is one of our main concerns, but one of many. There are obviously other considerations you will have – from teaching style, to workload, to time schedule – to see if it fits with your child. Be sure so ask them everything, and determine if you are comfortable with them. You don’t want to commit to a school, only to find their policies clash with you. It will be a waste of time and money for you and family.

Choose what types of playgroups does your child get most active in?

Your child may be more interested in certain types of playgroups more than others, so choosing the ones they are more engaged in allows them to get more out of the class. The following are a few of the types of playgroups available:

1. Playgroups with bodily or kinaesthetic themes such as yoga, swimming, gymnastics, dance, and football are an exciting way for babies and toddlers to explore what their young bodies are capable of;
2. Musical playgroups which also involve dance and movement are structured to help children experiment with the basic elements of music; such as fast and slow, loud and soft, etc. It also gives them the chance to experiment with musical instruments;
3. Naturalistic playgroups encourage children to explore, appreciate and care for the environment. The playgroups usually involve outdoor activities where children observe different features of nature, while the indoor activities usually involve natural objects of various shapes, textures, colours, patterns and smells;
4. “Multiple-intelligence” playgroups – these teach a little bit of everything but time constraint means they will have exposure but not in-depth experience will each aspect of what they offer;
5. Messy-play / Montessori classrooms – allows children to interact with everything within the playgroup environment, giving them freedom to explore with their own senses and methods;

5 ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

Take trial classes or schedule a tour

Nothing better to know about the classes than to try them out and get a feel for it. If no trial classes are available, go for a visit. You have your preferences and so you need to find out. You also want to see if your child interacts or at least willing to do some of the stuff there.

Know your child’s daily routine

Your child will have been accustomed to a daily routine, involving when they will play, eat, poo and nap. To have the least interference from this routine, as well as having a smoother and easier time during the playgroups, you first should be familiar with your child’s routine and then select the class schedule that fits in best with his playing times. This way he will be awake enough to take part in the class without needing time to nap or taking care of his poo poo.

Know the terms and conditions of the playgroups you apply to

Usually playgroups are paid monthly and many of them have a minimum participation of two months. Usually they make the terms explicit when you purchase the packages but some don’t explicitly say the withdrawal conditions.

Focus on your child and try not to compare between the children in the class

Your focus should always be on your child and in a playgroup, the children may be months apart age-wise so they are all at different levels of development. Do not get hung up if other kids can do things your child cannot yet do. Your kid will get there.

Planning Ahead

In Hong Kong, playgroups nowadays are the bridgehead to the next stages of education – nurseries and kindergartens. Some playgroups allow progression into their nursery section as long as you are their current student. Otherwise, for most nurseries and kindergartens, they require an interview to see how your child does in their environment. For many parents who want to get their child into famous schools, they put their child a lot of work just to achieve a good interview. How you prepare your children reflect on how you wish to bring up your child.

 
I once read about learning through natural consequences and I believe that is best for a child, because he/she will understand that his actions will have repercussions, in a respectful manner relative to their age. In this way, they can develop their self-sufficiency and take responsibility for themselves and be able to handle the stresses of life that comes later. This style, however, runs contrary to the mainstream style in Hong Kong, where the kids are to learn a stack of stuff early, build up a portfolio, perform well in interviews and get into good schools. They may succeed with flying colours now but eventually, they will encounter challenges they are not equipped for and when that comes, they don’t know how to handle it and fall flat on their face.

All this starts from playgroup. This is the first class they will go into and it has the word “play” in it so shouldn’t your child have fun and enjoy it?