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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder why there are no toddler groups in half term

23 replies

ghoulelocks · 17/02/2013 17:05

With a 2month old and 2 yr old I NEED to get out everyday. In the cold toddler groups are great. Every school holiday draaaaaaaaags without them. Onviously the mum led ones close due to needing to care for older dc but why the children's centre/ church led/ older people led ones?

OP posts:

CloudsAndTrees · 17/02/2013 17:07

I think a lot of children centre staff are on term time contracts too, because they have older children. Not sure about the church run ones though, perhaps the people that run them just like to have a break, especially as they are often volunteers.

FoofFighter · 17/02/2013 17:07

Because they don't want hoards of older children gallumphing around the wee ones.

Shame they close though as not everyone does have bigger kids as well.

5madthings · 17/02/2013 17:08

One that I go to stays open and puts on craft activities for older children, the parents help run it and agreed we want it to open in the holidays.

5madthings · 17/02/2013 17:09

Our local children's center also puts on activities over the school holidays.

noisytoys · 17/02/2013 17:09

All the church ones I have been to were run by mums and the attendees all had older brothers and sister who would run around squishing the little ones

diddl · 17/02/2013 17:11

Well, if they are toddler groups, anyone with school age children as well can´t go, or they want to be doing other things with their school aged children & don´t want to go.

So maybe it´s not worth them opening.

AbuseHamzaMousseCake · 17/02/2013 17:11

you could always start one yourself!

babiesinslingsgetcoveredinfood · 17/02/2013 17:13

What foo said. It was half term here last week and it was hateful.

God luck

5madthings · 17/02/2013 17:14

I take my elder ones, a few of us do, I meet them take a ds and they do craft activities. They are not allowed to run around or trample younger children.

Ours is church run and the parents help to set up/clear up along with a helper, if the helper can't go one of the parents collects the keys to open up.

The activities at the children's center are for a wide age group and again older ones don't trample little ones, it can work fine if its organised.

We talked about it with the helpers and decided to pitch in and do it ourselves.

The children's center has always done activities and trips in the holidays.

neolara · 17/02/2013 17:16

What noisytoy said. They would get manic as older siblings are brought along.

Original poster

ghoulelocks · 17/02/2013 17:22

mooussecake- I should maybe offer to police existing ones on school holidays? (local teacher on mat leave with well honed 'teacher voice' or I'd happily occupy older dc with craft alongside...

OP posts:

5madthings · 17/02/2013 17:23

Except they don't. They probably could if people allow it to but there is no reason thast they have to get manic at all.

Op could you speak to other mums at the group and arrange to meet up somewhere else. It ask if you cash open the group yourself with some other mums?

5madthings · 17/02/2013 17:23

ghoule yes do offer, that is what I did with others :)

ImagineJL · 17/02/2013 17:34

I have helped run a toddler group and we used to be open all the time except Christmas week. However, during holidays the numbers were very low, as anyone with older siblings didn't come (various reasons - siblings didn't want to, mums of little ones didn't like having big ones around, parents took holiday so they went on family days out etc). So now we don't open in the holidays as we couldn't cover our costs, and it was a bit soul-destroying going to all that trouble for just a handful of kids.

teacherandguideleader · 17/02/2013 19:03

Not a toddler group but I don't run my youth group during school holidays. One reason is that many people are on holiday / busy doing other things so it is not worth me opening. Secondly, I don't get paid and it is a lot of extra work - I NEED that time off. For half term we just have a week off but at Christmas and Easter it is normally a month. I did wonder if I should cut the month to 2 weeks as I was feeling a bit guilty but then decided without it I just couldn't carry on, and then (without a string of people queuing up to take over) there would be no club at all.

KindleMum · 17/02/2013 19:09

The one I go to (mum-run) runs twice a week all year, except for Christmas week. In school hols, elder siblings up to age 8 are allowed to come and so far it's been very civilised. It's very popular in the hols, as it is all year round really and it's a really valuable part of my week - I think without it the SAHM thing would be much less enjoyable. I'm really grateful for it.

KC225 · 17/02/2013 19:09

Where do you live? South West London there are a few open

ConcreteElephant · 17/02/2013 19:13

I help run a toddler group (just a parent-led one, not Children's Centre or anything) and we aren't insured for children aged 5 and over, so parents and carers with school-aged children can't bring them along during holiday times. We run during half-terms as we can take the financial hit for a week or so but it would be unsustainable for the longer Summer holidays etc., particularly with people going away during these periods.

RainbowRabbit33 · 17/02/2013 19:21

Not a toddler group, but Rainbows...

I have considered keeping Rainbows going during the holidays and charging on a 'per session' basis, but decided against it as I don't want children of parents less able to pay to miss out on unit activities. I figure kids' clubs cost enough without adding an extra pressure. I'd also need quite a few to come every week to break even, and the unit can't afford to subsidise it from the termly subs (I end up subsidising the unit enough from my own pocket as it is).

And, as a volunteer, I will admit to enjoying the break in the holidays and I know my boss likes it that I don't expect to finish early every single Monday of the year!

badguider · 17/02/2013 19:24

I stop my guides in the holidays because I need a break from volunteering and to recharge my batteries. I can handle 30 meetings a year but 50 would kill me. It's soooo nice to get a Monday night off in half term.
Most toddler group volunteers are probably the same I'd guess.

NorthernLurker · 17/02/2013 19:29

I sympathise but everybody needs a break. Can you invite some mummy/daddy friends around for a play date/sanity break?

thekidsrule · 17/02/2013 19:32

surely there are other activitys you can do while they are closed

half term is only a week so dont really see the problem,six weeks a little different

HeadfirstForHalos · 17/02/2013 19:36

We don't fun our playgroup in half term because older siblings come along too and it's chaos. We don't have suitable toys or activities for the older ones, plus they are bigger and livelier. One local school broke up a day early before xmas once , cue a dozen or so over excited children turning up the next day

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