About Playgroups What is a Playgroup? A playgroup is for children and their parents or caregivers. Playgroups meet at community or private venues such as homes, parks, schools, community centers, museums, play spaces to name a few. Playgroups can be incredibly varied. They may meet regularly, occasionally or be a one time event. They can have structured events or they can be casual. Members of a playgroup may take turns hosting an event or there may be one appointed organizer. Playgroups may be free or there may be a fee to cover supplies, rental space or an entertainer, craftsman or teacher to lead the playgroup in the scheduled activity. Examples of a casual playgroup include meeting in the park for lunch, meeting at someone's home for free play or meeting at a museum. Examples of fee structured playgroup activity can include hiring a baby yoga instructor, a foreign language teacher, or a musician to lead sing-alongs. Playgroups may also be geared towards a particular special-interest group. Groups can be specifically for fathers, working mothers, single mothers, Cantonese speakers or children with special needs for example. Playgroups encourage children to develop their cooperation skills, verbal and non-verbal skills, motor skills, and expand their social circle while having fun doing it. Playgroups help adults meet other parents with whom they can share the experiences of raising children. They may make friends while stimulating their children in new and exciting ways. Some Playgroup events may be specifically geared for parents. For example a new mother's group where they can get support and questions answered from other new mothers. Some Playgroups like to limit the number of members and meet regularly while others like to keep membership open and may have events scattered throughout the month.