Five Tips For Perfect Playdates

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Playdates used to be a luxury around here.

We’ve known for awhile that they really shouldn’t be… I mean there are very few things that the girls love more than getting together with friends, but life always seems so busy and playdates were always put off till the next week and then the next week… you get the picture. And then once we actually did get together we all had a great time and declared we will do it more often.

Making fun a priority this past year, really pushed us to do more of what we love.

I’m not even sure if that is the right term or not. I just know that we are putting more thought into everything we do. We want our moments to really count. We want to have more experiences and to make more memories.

We want to have more fun. 

With fun in mind, we decided to invite some friends over for a playdate.

I’ve had years of experience with planning playdates. Years ago when my older two started having playdates I would go all out with the planning. I would plan every second of their time together. As the years went by I’ve learned a lot about what kids really want during playdates. And one thing I know for sure is that over planning takes away the spontaneous fun. That’s just one of my tips, though… 

Here Are My Five Tips For Perfect Playdates:

1. Keep it simple and unscripted. Set no schedule for the kids. Let them dictate what they want to do.

2. Have a backup plan. Weather in the summer can get rainy or super hot pretty quickly. We always start our playdates outside, but I always have a backup plan incase the playdate needs to be moved inside. Thankfully we have a large indoor room for everyone to hang out in if need be.

3. Snacks! The best playdate snacks are grab and go ones like fruit, granola bars, vegetables cut into bite-sized shapes, etc.

4. Keep a supply of playdate equipment. Our favorites are bubble machines, sidewalk chalk, balls, and hula hoops! We just keep a big bin in the garage full of these things so that the kids can just grab what they need and go. It also makes clean up super easy at the end. Just collect it all and drop it in the box!

5. If it’s warm enough (and you are not living in a drought area) playing in the water is always a hit! Just turn the sprinklers on and let them run through them! Running through the sprinklers at friends houses is one of my best childhood memories and my kids love it just as much as I did!