Here are my rules for a great playdate: (I should admit that I don't always follow my own rules, but these come from my experience of attending some pretty amazing play dates with my little boy.)
1 - Have a fun theme
2 - Have an activity that can be adapted for both boys and girls of various ages
3 - Allow time for free play - kids want some structure, but also use the time to let them burn some energy in the hopes of a nice, long nap later
4 - Be clear if you want the other mommies to bring something or if you are supplying all snacks and drinks
5 - Limit the attendees. Too many kids can equal chaos, so keep it small and intimate.
6 - Be ready to scrap your entire plan if something changes. Just like parenting, hosting a great play date will require you to be flexible!
While these are my top 6, I really and truly believe that any mom who opens up her home to others for a play date needs to be applauded and appreciated. Cleaning the bathrooms in preparation for company alone deserves a round of applause!
For our Pajama playdate, I asked all parents and kiddos to come in their PJ's. Roll out of bed and come right over for breakfast and playtime. As I don't have any PJ's for myself that are not either full of holes or 2 sizes too big, I decided I should treat myself to a new pair. I took my son to Target with me to get a new set of sleepwear. (Although I did go to Target with only this on my list, I did end up spending more than $100 before I left. Seriously....is anyone able to go into that store and only walk out with 1 thing??!?) My little man had planned to wear his Batman pajamas for the party, and was THRILLED when he spotted a matching set for me. Swept up in his excitement, I agreed to get Batman too....and then noticed that we were in the Junior's section. I bought the PJ's hoping that there was a chance that I would be able to fit my fat ass into them!
I opted to do a breakfast instead of snacks, and some moms offered to bring food too. We had a pancake buffet with a variety of toppings, waffle sticks made with strawberry greek yogurt, egg and cheese sandwiches on whole grain rolls, fruit salad, muffins, donuts, cookies, and yogurt parfaits. I also had milk and juice for the kiddos to drink. I found flavored milk straws too, which was a neat treat for everyone. I decorated the food table with a quilt, sheets, and a pillow so it would look like a bed too.
After breakfast, the kids played, and then we got to our activity. I bought white pillow cases for each child, and then found different fabrics with kids TV shows, themes, or cartoon characters. I sewed strips of fabric at the opening of each pillow case, and then use a fabric marker to trace matching character/theme pictures on the pillow cases. The kids all had fabric markers, and got to color their pillowcase of choice. Confession: the moms enjoyed the craft as much as the kids.
Two hours later, everyone was ready to go home after a very fun start to the morning. I loved this playdate theme....and all of the leftover pancakes!
