Get more friends through Playdates - Only few more weeks in summer! (homes)

[NumberPlate]

I was wondering how to make my kid enjoy his summer to the fullest him being outside, playing swimming play with more kids and make some new friends. I came across this website called PlaydatePal - Kids Connect With Kids. Just wondering how other parents are helping their children for them to get to know more kids and make some friendships.

[MNNative]

How old is your child? Whereabouts are you located?

My suggestions:
You might have time to enroll him in a class through your community, like a sport or play group depending on his age.

There are various MOMS or MOPS groups around the metro that can provide play time for children and talk time for moms (helping you and your son make new friends).

Strictly summertime, I'd go the playground and local pool routes as well. Those are such easy places for kids to play and subsequently, to set playdates at.

I love this website, Twin Cities, Family Fun Free Things to Do nn: Family Fun (http://twincities.parentzone.com/parentresources.asp?prid=647 - broken link) since it's such an easy way to fill our calendar. There are plenty of kids at these events.

Those are just some quick suggestions off the top of my head. The bottom line is getting out there and encouraging friendships. Have fun...it really is amazing how fast summer passes!

[NumberPlate]

Thanks for your suggestions. He is 7 yrs old. We live in minnetonka. Yes we did enroll him various activity classes and he is a frequent visitor to pools. Even after so many classes and activities it seems he is missing something. That is his school buddies. He cannot wait for summer to over and meet with his buddies again. Even he did met with his schools buddies few times already but seems he cant live without meeting atleast 2,3 friends on a daily basis. He is kinda getting bored with playing with kids he meets at parks and pools. Those new kids just play for a while and go and thats it. Next time when they meet again they are like new again. Anyways I will look into the link that you provided and see whether that will help something

[nick is rulz]

wow...parents organizing playtime with other parents children? The playground worked fine for me growing up.

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

wow...parents organizing playtime with other parents children? The playground worked fine for me growing up.

You never had playdates, Nick? Actually, come to think of it, I really didn't either. There were so many kids who lived nearby we were over at each other's homes too often to have to orchestrate a "playdate".

Originally Posted by NumberPlate

Thanks for your suggestions. He is 7 yrs old. We live in minnetonka. Yes we did enroll him various activity classes and he is a frequent visitor to pools. Even after so many classes and activities it seems he is missing something. That is his school buddies. He cannot wait for summer to over and meet with his buddies again. Even he did met with his schools buddies few times already but seems he cant live without meeting atleast 2,3 friends on a daily basis. He is kinda getting bored with playing with kids he meets at parks and pools. Those new kids just play for a while and go and thats it. Next time when they meet again they are like new again. Anyways I will look into the link that you provided and see whether that will help something

He's a social butterfly I guess. That's not necessarily a bad thing though I can see how it can be straining. Sounds like he's looking for a couple really close friends he can rely on for play...in which case I would assume the link I provided won't be of much help. Do you have many children in your neighborhood that he can get together with more frequently? I'm not sure what else you can do that you haven't already tried aside from letting him find those "close/best" friends to associate with.

[nick is rulz]

yeah, I did actually. It would always be like....the friend of my moms with the strange son who mumbles and eats paste. Parents generally always tried to push the "he is a nice boy now you play with him" agenda on their kids but it never worked.

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

yeah, I did actually. It would always be like....the friend of my moms with the strange son who mumbles and eats paste. Parents generally always tried to push the "he is a nice boy now you play with him" agenda on their kids but it never worked.

lol...there's always a kid and his paste, isn't there? (yuck! )

Yeah I can see how parents can push their own agendas on their kids, I'm sure it boils down to a sense of acceptance--and probably the "living vicariously through your children" thing.

But there are good reasons for getting kids together for playdates and such...they only backfire when you try to matchmake friends. I find the best way to go about it is to figure out which friends THEY really like and concentrate on those friends versus trying to juggle a bunch (providing you like those kids too...we've already done the "friends" with the mean girl in class thing -sigh, but that's a whole 'nother story!). A handful of great friends is so much more valuable than an entourage of acquaintances.

**Disclaimer: I suppose it's worth mentioning that this philosophy only works if your kids are social. If they're shy then I suppose you sort of have to step in and initiate things.