- Make sure your child is ready and willing to have a play date
- Start at a park or neutral place. It can be hard for some kids to understand what having a guest means and how to share or welcome a guest.
- Have a play date at your home before sending the child to a friend’s house
- Keep it short and limit the amount of children at one given time.
- Pick an optimal time of day for your child. Make sure they are well rested, healthy, and that the date is absent of new transitions/changes. Avoid nap times or right after a holiday/vacation when their schedule/routine was changed.
- Pick well-matched play partners.
- Do not include siblings at first because the playmate might prefer playing with the sibling.
- Try to schedule play dates on a regular basis
- Plan ahead.
- Arrange for preferred or familiar games and activities
- Sharing and trading can be hard at first, so prepare your child by talking about what a guest is and what is expected of both the host and the guest.
- You can practice/role play with your child prior to the play date to help them know what to expect.
- Talk about the rules with both of the children at the start of the play date.
- Remove special toys that your child will be reluctant to share and have 2 toys for each activity.
- Get involved. Don’t just let them play by themselves and hope for the best. Change activities when needed, help with sharing and negotiating and facilitating play together, but don’t dominate or fill in for your child. Beak the ice, reinforce, and facilitate without taking control. Back off as soon as you can.
- Be a play date yourself. This is a good way to figure out what areas your child needs help in and to identify strengths.
- Don’t forget to model expected behavior yourself. Narrate your feelings, thoughts, and actions.
- If your child isn’t ready for other children, a furry friend or pet can be less threatening and a good introduction to be social. For example, have the child play with the dog by throwing a ball to him. This back-and-forth interaction can be a start to interacting more with other people.
- Don’t expect too much too early. If your child is younger, it is developmentally appropriate to play mostly side-by-side and imitate rather than interact. Too much pressure can cause stress on both the child and their friend.
- Help your child reflect. Afterwards, recap the play date with your child and help them think about what went well and what needs more practice next time.
