Set a Time
Set a specific time for how long you want your playdate to last. Typically playdates are 40 minutes to 1 hour. Setting a specific time can help to build a routine and predictability into your playdate, as well as help with transitions.
Ask Parents to Stay
When setting up new playdate, ask that one parent of the other child stay and help for the entirety of the playtime in advance. This can be useful for helping to prep and work through activities, as well as identifying what activities the children are enjoying and which ones are more challenging.
Remove FAVORITE Toys
If you are having the playdate at your house, it can be helpful to remove HIGHLY favored toys or games from the general area. While children can be very motivated by these kinds of activities, they can also be a challenge to share, especially when you are starting something new. When beginning a new playdate keep favorite toys in the closet, and as children become more comfortable introduce them as you feel appropriate.
Plan Your Activities
Plan out in advance what activities you would like for the children to engage in. Not only will this assist in ease of set up, it can also help prepare your child for what you will be expecting. You can share with your child in advance what activities they will be engaging in, helping to prepare them for what to expect during their playdate.
Visual Schedule
Write a visual schedule and show it to the children at the beginning of each playdate. This can be a numbered checklist of the activities you plan on doing that day. This schedule can help children to know what is expected of them, as well as what is coming next. The visual schedule can be used throughout the playdate to remind the children what will be coming up soon. To make the schedule more easily visible, it can be drawn on a large piece of butcher paper and taped to a wall. See handout for example of a visual schedule.
Plan on Short Activities
When first beginning a playdate, plan on activities passing quickly. This can be especially true for activities that are new to the child or that require extended periods of sitting. You can prepare for this by scheduling a “free choice” activity in your visual schedule that you can make as long or as short as needed. Another strategy is to start over from the top of your visual schedule and repeat activities.
Alternate Types of Activities
Plan on alternating between seated activities and movement based activities. Seated activities include things like puzzles, art activities, car play, or any other activity that requires being seated in the same space for a period of time. Movement based activities include games like catching bubbles, an obstacle course, or dancing to silly music.
Recap
At the end of every playdate recap with the other parent about how the playdate went. You can do this later over the phone, or in the moment if you have time. Think about things like what did the children enjoy? What was easy for them, and what things required more prompting? What activities did they engage in together or imitate each other? These kinds of insights can help you plan your next playdate.
Build Predictability and Routine
If you plan on doing regular playdates, try to build in as much routine and predictability as possible. This can include keeping the day, time, and location of the playdate as consistent as possible. This can also include making only small changes to the planned activities each week. For example, changing only one or two items on the visual schedule for each new playdate.
Build Predictability and Routine
If you plan on doing regular playdates, try to build in as much routine and predictability as possible. This can include keeping the day, time, and location of the playdate as consistent as possible. This can also include making only small changes to the planned activities each week. For example, changing only one or two items on the visual schedule for each new playdate.
Example of a Visual Schedule
Playdate Activities:
1. Greeting
2. Songs
3. Cars
4. Bubbles
5. Puzzles
6. Snack
7. Free choice
8. Goodbyes
