Bug = 3 years 7 months
Bub = 1 year 9 months Linus at this age
Bud = 1 month 24 days Linus at this age – Ada at this age

Linus’s Needs

Our weekly schedule offers Linus a few different activities: playing with his little sister sisters, lots of reading, videos, swimming, songs and stories at the library, and – as the weather gets nicer – tree-climbing and bush-whacking in the back yard. He also gets to see friends his age and Ada’s age occasionally.

However I’m feeling more and more that Linus needs more than I can manage to give him at home. (Kindergarten didn’t work out for us for various reasons.) More opportunity for arts, crafts,  and music would be nice, but we do manage to do a little of that at home. Where I really feel he’s missing out is in physical activity and in social interactions with other children, especially older ones. I’m particularly keen to see him get some positive rough play, which he doesn’t get much of around home. (I hope the other parents don’t object to a bit of this!)

Arranging playdates with pre-school friends is tricky when all Linus’s friends/potential friends have such busy schedules with kindergarten and daycare, so I’ve decided that it’s time to try out Playcentre.

Checking Out Playcentre

We visited a distant Playcentre last week and had a lovely time, but it was too far to consider for multiple trips a day, so I put the word out on Facebook and got some feedback from friends on where they go. Today Nana and the kids and I attended a session at a Playcentre across town, and we had a fantastic morning: Linus needed no encouragement to go and play with the other children (they cooked and served him imaginary pizza), and Ada – who’s at a less social developmental stage – enjoyed painting, drawing, and puddling in water.

So I decided this is for us – I imagine most Playcentres are similar, so the deciding factor was that I already know a couple of the mums at this one (and another friend is considering going there). I’ve enrolled all three children in Playcentre for three mornings each week. Children under 2.5 have to be supervised by their parents, but over that age they can be left for the three hour session, so once we’re all settled in I imagine I’ll try to leave Linus there at least once – and possibly twice – each week.

High Hopes

I’m hoping that, along with the specific benefits for Linus, my mental health will benefit from having a routine that gets us out of the house and doing something positive. The fact that it’s done by lunchtime means that I’ll be able to schedule other things for the afternoons if I need to, or can simply get into some housework without feeling like the kids are missing out on fun. And being so involved in Playcentre and my children’s learning and development will be a good grounding should I decide to home-school.

And please oh please! let this help make Linus a bit easier to cope with at home!!!!