I'm glad I came to Under Fives I hope that you'll come too. (Mother Toddler Groups in general)

Member Name: jessyclown

Product:	Mother Toddler Groups in general
Date:	14/12/01 (695 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Make friends, Let children run off steam, Relax when exhausted

Disadvantages: none

When my oldest daughter was young I was very lonely. I had lots of time with very little to do and my husband was out at work for hours each day. This is the story of many young mums. I had decided to bring up my own children but I was not expecting the loneliness that followed.

I decided to try some local toddler groups when my daughter was walking. I tried a few groups, I took my child in and after paying the entrance fee I sat and watched my child play. There is nothing lonelier than being in a crowd and no one talking to you. After a few weeks I still had no one to talk to at these groups and decided to do something about it.

At my church there were a few other mums with young children. We decided to start our own group. After much planning we opened up our church on a Monday morning and waited to see what happened. That was just over 10 years ago and we are still here every Monday during term time.

The number of people coming has varied as children pass through and on to nursery but we have several mothers who come with their children and watch them play while they can have a chat.

What about the mother who comes off the street? As organisers of the group we make a point of getting to know people as they walk in. The other mothers greet new comers and friendships soon start up. We have a reputation for being a very friendly group.

Each Monday we do have some structure to the morning.

There are times when children just play with the toys.

Each morning we have a singing and story session. As organisers we take it in turns to run this session and tell a bible story. The older children love to listen to the story and children of all ages love the singing. The mothers sit round in a circle with the children is a good way of getting to know others.

There is a time for drinks and biscuits, a very popular time for adults and children alike.

We have a craft for children
to make this can be decorating biscuits, using stickers to make picture, lacing shoes or what ever we can think up. The children then have something to take home with them.

At the end of the morning after help with tidying up the toys we have an ending activity which can be singing again, using a slide and tunnels, playing with balls, or posting letters. The whole morning ends up with our special song and a big goodbye.

Of all the parent and toddler groups I have been to this is by far and away the best. I am biased of course.

Parent and toddler groups are a great way of meeting with other people but with some groups you have to bold and go and talk to some one else. I have been going to our group for the last 10 years and have seen a lot of families pass through. I now walk through my local town and know a lot more people and at my children’s school I know a lot of mums there.

Possibly the best thing about parent and toddler groups is that when you have had a terrible night with the baby and the toddler is driving you up the wall you can go along to the group and relax, someone else will help look after the children!

As for being lonely, I now look forward to the opportunity to be alone and get down to what I want to do by myself. Well with 4 children there is a lot more to do even though most of them are at school!

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