Playdates over summer holidays

[335fwwr]

My eldest is just finishing reception and I've been pondering playdates over the holidays. How often do you usually have DCs friends over? We live in London and my impression is that people around here either send their kids to holiday clubs or are away. DD will probably catch up with a couple of her friends in clubs but not sure whether I should try and also invite over some of the girls she plays with at school whom we know less well.

We will be carrying on with play dates over the summer. Like you we will either be away or the kids will be in clubs, but there's still time to have their friends over after the clubs. The only difficulty is keeping track of when everyone is going away!

We have barely any play dates over the summer, at least with school friends. We’re away or seeing friends from further afield or just chilling as a family. Term time is full on and the children see their friends constantly so in the holidays it’s nice to have a break.

But I know some of the others in the class see each other a couple of times a week over the summer! So it depends what you want, I don’t think there is a “done thing”. If you and she would be happy to host some of her friends then offer, worst they can say is “we’re busy”. I’d be clear what you’re suggesting though - I’m a SAHM and I did have one working parent misinterpret my slightly ambiguous message about a play date and think I was offering a whole day of effectively childcare, not a couple of hours of play!

I don't think there is any "should" about it.
Do what suits you and your family.

IME, parents who have an only child, tend to be keener to invite friends round as it is nice for their dc to have someone to play with.
Families that have 3 or more children don't have that 'need'.

Then you get people who work in schools who are generally too knackered in term time to have other dc round to play, who are more likely to have the energy to invite other dc round in the holiday.

But it also depends a bit on if you are working, and if the friends of your dc's friends are working. If dc's friends' parents are out at work then they will have already had to put childcare in place, whereas if their parents are SAHPs, or work term time only, then the dc are more likely to be available for coming round to play with yours.

We hardly had playdates over any holidays. When we worked DD was in a holiday club and on my days off I preferred peace and do things with her instead of having other children around.

We have 2 weeks of family holiday and again, that's for us, not entertaining other children.

DD had friends with SAHPs and they did meet up in the holidays but we had to book everything up by February so there wasn't any flexibiltiy for short notice playdates anyway.

We don't meet up with school friends in the holidays