but there has to be a alternative to soft play centres.

[Graceava]

I hate to complain but last week i took dd 3 to our local soft play centre. Whilst the place is clean and affordable i couldn't help but notice that they are very limited in terms of what they offer developing children. By and large children simply charge around, pushing and shoving each other over and generally getting hyper. What would be the alternative? If you could dream up the best place for your child to play what would it look like? What opportunities for play would you like a children's play centre to offer? Has anyone suggestions of great places to take dd that would offer her someting more than the chance to go wild?

The park

We saved soft-play for days when the weather was horrible. The main thing I wanted from soft-play was for dc to tire themselves out physically but there's more to it than that.

They challenge themselves climbing higher on the soft padded steps or similar. They experience the rewarding thrill of being brave enough to come down the big slide. They played hide and seek (badly but still fun all the same). We did counting (steps/balls etc) colour/shape identification).

I don't recall a great deal of kids pushing and shoving each other around.

On fine days we used that great free alternative - called "outside".

Really only used them for parties - and a week with IL in winter when I was pg and had two toddlers as we had to stop elsewhere due to work in our house and FIL became ill day we travelled.

Many of those near IL did do craft activates at set times and had quiet corners with books and puzzles. The local town one near us doesn't just a frame set and few toys for younger DC.

Usually did parks, some better than others, toddler groups and children centres very occasional pubs with gardens and play equipment then when lost pushchairs more frequently woods.

Came across one café near IL with play area - dress up and small slides which was great to get a cup of coffee and be able to see them play. Occasionally nearby museums have things that are suitable and sometimes the libraries.

Soft play centres I found always to be a very expensive option.

Why don't you see what your local gymnastics club offers if you are interested in helping your child's physical development. You can find your nearest gym club here.

www.british-gymnastics.org/

Our gym club has a toddler sesssion every week day morning where children are allowed to climb over the equipment supervised by parents. Once the children hit free then they can join the pre school classes

I kind of thought that having a place for children to simply charge about was kind of the whole purpose of a soft play place.... Helps with their physical development too, surely?

Parks, woods and beaches (weather permitting) are also good places for DC to charge about and go wild in. Some of our local parks even have occasional toddler sessions and story trails.

For other aspects of helping children develop - our local libraries offer storytime & craft sessions. Or you can read to your child yourself, and get colouring sheets if you go when there's not a formal session on.

We have local surestart centres that offer rhyme time, messy play and craft sessions, plus informal stay & play sessions.

Most of our local museums / art galleries have some child friendly exhibits / areas and some of them offer activities aimed at children at set times.

We also have a number of petting zoos (at least one with it's own soft place place) and wildlife / bird centres nearby.

Weather is not always helpful for outdoor stuff - took my toddler to a woodland activity session this morning, he loved it but it would have been miserable and pointless if it was raining. I live in hampshire and there are different options if you hunt around on local council websites etc.
Our two local soft play centres do toddler mornings with arts and crafts, painting, biscuit icing etc. Reduced entry fee for the session too.
Sure Start centres often have play and music groups timetabled in
One of our leisure centres offers an indoor free-play gymnastics type session - lots of equipment to climb on and balls to play with etc.
Another leisure centre offers a messy play session once a week
One library does rhyme and story time
Another library does art club
Local churches often hold mums and toddler coffee mornings and play groups in their halls (no affiliation required)

Sometimes requires a bit of searching and booking in advance but I find if I'm organised I can fit in an 'activity' each day of the week, none costing more than £3/4 which is less than I end up spending on coffee and cake at the soft play!

here emsyj

It's a while since I was in the UK. Do they have children's museums eg...

www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/
www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/
www.kitetails.org/

We have these in most big cities in New England and they are fab.

I would love to take my kids to the woods and playpark all year round but they are well and truly snow-covered at the moment. The swings are actually embedded in snow :-)

Wow, this is the first time i have posted and can't beleive the great responses/suggestions. Thanks

parkfun I thought it sounded like 360 we have one near us in mk x

I'm in MK too Squirrel

A lot of pre schools do a toddler and baby stay and play session. Books, play dough, painting, model making, dress up, wet play, sand pit, out door toys! My dd loves them, cheaper than softplay and you still get to sit down and chat to other mums with a coffee.

I recognised 360 too.. we arent too far away from one. Its brilliant

Outside in park

I don't want much from a soft play, neither does DS (6). Even though ours has a big play frame with slides, ball pits etc, all he wants to do is play football with the other children. Fine with me! I get 2 hours to sit and read the paper, he gets 2 hours of physical activity and plays with other children, which as an only child is really important. We do go to the park a lot too but you don't tend to get groups of children having a game of football in the same way as you do at soft play. I see it as a safe (and dry!) environment for him to have some social time.

Thank you for the link dashoflime!

Might see you there one day then :)

No probs :)

Soft play is an English thing, I think.

Where I come from (doesn't that sound so very Jeremy Kyle), we shove them outside.

I love soft play. Just love it.
It was just coming out when I was a kid and I always wanted to go and never got to. Now I take Ds whenever I have the opportunity.
AS I said upthread- its just an indoor park. The proper time for it is when you want to go to the park but its raining.
Then it is a fucking lifesaver.

Surely soft play is just a big indoor park for when the weathers crap and parents want to sit down with a coffee and let the kids go wild.

For kids I imagine they're amazing, remember watching Fun House and stuff when you were a child? Soft play is basically like that.