If your child started reception this year

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Have you yet had an invite to either a birthday party or a play date? (Interested in when the social side kicks off)

2 parties and just arranged a playdate.

1 whole class party, with another next weekend. They've had one big play date at the park but I haven't arranged anything else yet. I'm not very good at chatting at the school gate.

She’s been to one already and we’ve had another invite today for December. My girl loves it, I’m so pleased for her.

I think if you want play dates you need to initiate.

I'm such a misery but I can't stand an after school play date. Mine are still in infants so maybe it's much better as they get older but my experience is that they are tired, grumpy, and it's never long enough (in their eyes 🤣).

It always feels like such a rush and with toddlers at my feet and homework to get done it often just leaves me completely flustered (with a very messy house).

I'm always happy to have school friends over to play on the weekend but I no longer initiate an after school play date. Of course, if we're invited to one then I reciprocate but then that just keeps the cycle going 🙈🤣

Yes we've had at least one birthday party every weekend just about. The novelty wears off - fast!

For the poster who has 2 every weekend? Stay strong, you only have 3 weeks then the entire class of 30 will have had their birthdays so you won't have any more until next September...

does your child's year have more than one class. could the older children be in one class and the younger children in your daughters? so you should start getting invites from approx March onwards?

We have only had one party, hadn't really thought about it.

My daughter's just had get first play date invite today and we have one party in the diary, but from someone we already know quite well and I don't know how many they have invited.

We have a Facebook group which is quiet - 2 or 3 posts a week generally lost jumpers and questions about non uniform, that sort of thing. No WhatsApp group which I am definitely pleased about as from what friends say those sound like a right pain.

None at all
I do worry its DS not making friends, he’s so shy

We've had 4 parties so far!

We’ve got 2 birthday parties this month. The whole play date part hadn’t even occurred to me to be honest. Other than the friends we already saw outside of school DD hasn’t asked.

For those worried honestly don’t- it is worrying but so many people are having smaller parties so there won’t be as many invites. Especially st reception age it’s often more who the parents are friends with/they have cousins and nursery friends so are allowed 3 school friends etc. if you don’t make a big deal the children won’t be bothered!

No, nothing. Feel a bit sad for my daughter as her friends from nursery who go to other schools seem to have a party every weekend. Our school is in a less well-off area than theirs, I’m wondering if fewer parents can do big parties, as they seem generally friendly and nice people.

None yet which has surprised me x

We've had playdates with a boy he was already in preschool with, and when he was playing with another friend outside the gates one morning me and her mum got chatting and swapped numbers and have spoke a bit about arranging something. Another boy in his class is actually the (much) younger sibling of someone I know so I talk to his mum too - and they are now the 3 kids I've invited to his birthday party.

Other than that, there's really very little socialising at thr school gates before or after school except for those who know each other already

Yes DD went to a classmates party beginning of October

1 birthday party, no play dates. But he’s taken to / from school by wrap around care so I don’t know many parents.

We've had 4 whole class bday parties so far. No play dates and no WhatsApp groups as far as I know. I seem to have blinked and suddenly all the other mums are mates though, everyone suddenly seemed to know each other and I don't really know anyone. I'm usually pretty good at making friends so not quite sure what happened.

Ds1 started p1 in august. He's been to a couple of birthday parties and a few play dates.

It's a small school and a lot of the p1s went to nursery together.

Please feel my pain. She's had five parties from former nursery friends this term, plus a play date, three parties from children in reception, and four coming from children in year one (they're all in the same class).

We had one weekend with a party Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. I was wiped out.

I think everyone has let loose a bit because of covid, plus a couple where they delayed them from summer into autumn so they could do it with school friends, which I do get but which makes it a bit full on.

@SarahAndQuack

You could say no to a few.. sounds like overkill

I could, but would you like to deal with my DD while I do?

It is overkill, but I do think it's just to do with covid and people being a bit keen.

None at all, most of the other parents seem to have lived here all their lives and know each other. We are from elsewhere and work jobs with antisocial hours, covid measures involve social distancing at pick up and drop off, I haven't been able to even speak to other parents whilst waiting to drop off or pick up D's. DS first school report says he plays with everyone so I know he is making friends, I think it's purely because none of the parents know us and are already in cliques that seem impossible to join as an outsider.

In my sons reception class there were hardly any whole class parties in the first term- we had one in feb for him which I deliberated about and went ahead with as my friend assured me that prob only 2/3 would come. I think feb is a boring month- 29/30 came and with family friends we had 42 kids- it was mayhem.

6 already