Getting together with mom friends anytime is a treat, but planning themed play dates can be fun because they keep things new and different. Rather than meeting at the same park every week, it makes you think out of the box for things to do. For moms that love Pinterest, it gives them a chance to go all out with themed food, décor, and activities. Everyone has a great time and you can capture some adorable pictures of your kids.
Below are some fun ideas for themed play dates that you can do this summer. At MomCo, we announce a new play date theme for moms each month. Some of the pictures below are from recent play dates that the MomCo moms had.
1. Picnic Themed - Have a potluck picnic with your friends. Meet at a park, the beach, go strawberry picking, or ride a train and have a picnic afterward. You can go with a general picnic theme or even make it more specific such as garden party themed, strawberry themed, patriotic for July 4th, etc. MomCo's play date theme for June was a Picnic play date. Click here for more ideas for a picnic themed play date.
2. Water Themed - There are lots of options with a water theme. Meet at a splash pad, the pool, the beach, run through the sprinklers, set up a water table or kiddie pool in your back yard, or meet at an aquarium. If it has water it goes with this theme! You can go with a general water theme or even make it more specific such as under the sea, beach themed, etc. Since it is hot outside, you can a few different water themed play dates and change it up each time.
3. Car Themed – You can do a lot with the car theme and kids love them. Most toddlers have ride-on toys at their house. To incorporate the car theme, have everyone bring their favorite ride-on toys to the park or someone's house. If it is really hot outside, you can have them do a car wash and wash them. The kids would love it.
4. Bubble Themed - What toddler doesn't like bubbles? Get the bubble machine out and have the kids run around. Moms can sit and catch up while the kids are kept busy. This is a simple theme, but there are still some really cute ideas for themed food and decor if you want to go all out with it.
5. Olympics Themed - Have the kids run through an obstacle course in the park or your backyard. This can be as simple as have them run around a tree, go up and down a slide, jump on one foot, etc...or you could bring items that you set up. You can award kids as they finish each step or award them all at the end. It can be as simple as a sticker or a treat.
I hope this gave you some ideas for your play dates this summer. Have fun this summer! Please click here for additional tips for how to arrange successful play dates.
Jillian Darlington is the CEO and Founder of the MomCo app. The MomCo app helps moms locate, connect and meet up with other moms that live close by with similar aged children and common interests. It also helps them find play dates and activities that are happening in their area. Jillian is also a contributor for many parenting websites and a regular parenting expert on Fox5 and CW6 News in San Diego. You can follow Jillian and MomCo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and at www.momcoapp.com.
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