Would you attend a toddler class after 3.30pm? Please pick apart my idea!

[Yorkshiremum22]

I'm a toddler Mum and former English teacher (primary).

I work full time and my 20 month old is in nursery. I want to take him to some classes - both for his benefit, but also for mine to meet other parents - but everything in my local area for his age group happens during the school day. I pick him up at 3pm three days per week and we do some sort of activity until tea time but did find this especially challenging in the winter or when the weather is bad.

My idea is to run a toddler group from our local village hall centres around language development, stories and developing an early love for reading, that starts at 3.45pm and runs until 4.30pm.

If this was in your area, is this something you would attend?

Initial musings:

1. Ages 18 months - 3 years. Bigger kids are welcome to attend - they can join in and 'help' their siblings, or sit and read independently if they are old enough to do so in a dedicated area set up with cushions / bean bags especially for them.
2. £3.50 per child per week - no charge for adults or bigger kids.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! Not really looking to make a business out of this, per se - just enough to cover hall hire, resources and insurance, etc.

I don’t think £3.50 a child would cover your insurance cost.
You would never get parent’s would school age children coming to something like that. they’ll be busy with their own stuff. You’d be catering to parents with younger ones only.

I also suspect that the church hall will be busy with school age children’s activities.

There was a church and church hall opposite my da’s school. Parents weren’t allowed to park there for pick-up or drop offf unless attending a church/church hall thing.

I often mused about renting the place for an hour after drop-off and an hour before pick-up , for coffee and toddler play sessions. The chat and the parking spaces would have been a big draw to school mums. I picked my dd up from nursery almost an hour before ds finished, and she was always bright and eager after drop-off, too, so the timings worked for us and probably would have worked for others too.

but it is the proximity to the school which would have made the whole thing work

It sounds like what you have in mind is very similar to what your DC will be doing at nursery all day anyway, so this idea is really just for you to meet other parents.

Most people would not bring a child who had been in another childcare setting most of the day, so the parents you do meet will be SAHPs and you’ll then be at work most other times they are available to meet up!

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to this one. You're responses are much appreciated. Probably not a go-er. Thanks for the perspective and things I'd not thought about!

Yes I would. I need to get out the house at that time with my youngest or he is not happy... Parks are usually overrun with the bigger kids by that point so I'd welcome a group to go to

I always wanted afternoon stuff to do when my DC were little but once you have 1 at school that makes a specific toddler activity more tricky.

I often used to go swimming at 3pm with them because I knew the pool would be empty because most people were doing the school run.

I'd prefer a Saturday class. as a FT working mum, the only Saturday sessions around here were specifically for dads.

I wouldn't because I pick up the older one from school just after 3pm. The older one needs a run around after sitting quietly and behaving at school all day, and so I wouldn't take them somewhere with small children around where more sitting quietly/behaving would be required. We tend to go to the park when the weather is good so they can climb and run about. We also do the older one's activities after school, while the younger one's are done during school hours.

I wouldn't as on my working days I don't finish until 5pm. I have an older child and try to prioritise his needs after school, my days off are the only opportunity he can have a friend over to play for example. He often has clubs or activities that require ferrying him around for too. Im in a little group of mums who had our toddlers at a similar time and when we meet it's nearly always at a toddler group, however we plan this around the two of us who work and the 4 who also have older kids needing to be picked up from school. I'd be wary that some may not attend because their mum friends can't make it so would just go to another one they can all make instead.

If I didn't have the school run on my days off I probably wouldn't come if I had to drive as school traffic then beginning of rush hour traffic would put me off. If it was walkable and I didn't have my eldest at school I'd probably come as sometimes I get the panic of "we've not done much today!" So a group would be good in that respect.

A weekend group, probably more informal playgroup based, would probably be better. Most playgroups run term time monday- Friday between 9.30 and 3 depending on school times in your area. There are quite a few parents who work full time and can't make these. Especially for the 1-4 age range. Also a playgroup that runs through the holidays would be popular but would require strict age range enforcement.

You would have to look in your area to see what time's older children's activities run and work with that. Either something that runs same time as football/ rugby/ swimming so that the older goes to their group with 1 parent and the younger goes to your group. You would have to be very strict with age ranges as the older ones will dominate if allowed to attend.

My toddler would love it and the timings would work for his nap/snack/tea… but the days I’m home with him I pick up my older kid from school, and in summer that means playground with her pals and toddler tags along; in winter it’s playdates or home where they play together. On days I don’t have him, everyone’s in childcare til 5 so I can work!

I think for most people it would only work for single children. Once you add older kids into the mix, you’re led by what they want to do, and the younger siblings tag onto that.

Sorry I wouldn't, it would be the older kids that put me off. The ones that are old enough to read independently would be fine, but the 4-7 year old 'helping' would just dominant the session.

With my first, I found big kids way to rambunctious around pfb. Then with my second, toddler groups felt like the only time that was focused on DC2's level, and not her trailing after (my own rambunctious) DC1, so I would choose some toddlers only. Even daytime toddler groups we usually enjoy were awful during school holidays when the big siblings tagged along.

Your idea sounds wonderful! A toddler group focused on language development and reading would be a fantastic way for children to develop a love for books while providing parents with a valuable community connection. The timing is ideal for working parents, and the inclusive setup for older siblings is a great touch. I would definitely attend such a group, and the cost seems reasonable to cover expenses. Best of luck with this endeavor!

A friend of mine tried this. It failed within a few weeks, people generally where tired after works, kids tired after nursery, older kids need picking up, dinner needs starting and so on.

This is not to be a downer at all, my friend was really disappointed as so many people sounded so keen

It sounds like a nice idea. I would have tried something like this with my oldest as it would be after his afternoon nap.

However I wouldn't have gone along with my younger one because of clash with school/nursery pick up for the older one. And I think older one would have struggled to 'stay out' of the action or be a helper leaving the younger ones to it.

If there were lots of bigger kids that would have put me off with my toddler too. I did find that with one nice toddler group that ran in school holidays and welcomed school age children then too - they ran wild playing with the toddler toys and so I avoided it during the holidays.

I love the idea but wouldn't come.

With DC1 I'd have been put off by older children, and have noticed in the holidays when siblings come along too to some activities it becomes feral quite quickly. They're big, they're loud, they would want to run around and play (which is totally fine - I'm not having a pop at bigger kids!) and this would be a nightmare with little ones. Especially if they're not used to older siblings.

With DC2 I wouldn't come because she has her own activities and mostly we're racing to get to dancing/swimming/gymnastics/etc etc with her.

I agree with this. I tried to take DC2 to an "older siblings welcome" music group, which basically became an "older siblings age group" group with toddlers present.

You're limiting your market to people who are not at work in the late pm. If they don't work at all that day, they've probably already done some kind of kids activity.

DC's first school didn't finish until 3.30 pm. I'm not sure I'd be up for rushing to an activity after school (tried it when dc1 was at school and dc2 was still at nursery).

You may well be limiting your market to a very few people. I do get your desire to do something for working parents. I ran a Saturday playgroup once a month for a couple of years for the same reason.

This would only appeal to non working parents with children under 3 only. If they have older siblings, after school hours are very busy.

Older siblings do take over somewhat. It's the 4-8 age group who are the real problem. They're still quite young, even though they look huge, and there is so much pent up energy and silliness after school. And they're not compact like toddlers and many of them are clumsy as they're still growing into their bodies. Those flailing limbs are very good at accidentally taking out smaller children. And the parents with smaller kids without much "big kid" experience regard them with the fascinated horror with which you would view a herd of stampeding wildebeest heading right for you. It's not the best combo.

I went to a few toddler classes around that time with dc1. I'm not sure I would have chosen the group you describe as I preferred more specific activities - gymnastics, ballet, football. If it sounds like something I could do on my own at a library I'm not sure I'd make the effort, unless it happened to be very local.

I couldn't do it now with dc2 as I have to pick up dc1 from school, either to ferry them to activities, or pick up from after school activities at school at 4.20pm. So I just wouldn't have time. Plus if I am looking after both dc, I wouldn't take dc2 to an activity where dc1 just had to sit quietly, I'd rather take them both to a park or soft play where they can both play.

I definitely would have come with DC1. I was always looking for things to do post nap on my day off with him.

DC2. No, I wouldn’t, not with 4 yo DC1 in tow who does school hours. DC1 is too old for the activities but too young to help or sit and read quietly. He’d be a nightmare.

I see Chat GPT has joined the thread!

I think that a pp idea of a weekend group for 0-3 year olds is much better. You’re limiting yourself to people with the right age children but it could be popular with working parents or single parents.

I wouldn’t because DD finishes at 3:30 it would be too much of a rush to get there, plus it’s during the worst part of the day. After work and getting the DCs it’s usually home to make tea. In summer it might be nice but I couldn’t see myself going. However you could do with doing some research with the parents in the areas you’re aiming at

I work full time and my 20 month old is in nursery. I want to take him to some classes - both for his benefit, but also for mine to meet other parents - but everything in my local area for his age group happens during the school day. I pick him up at 3pm three days per week

Which is it ?
Work full time, or pick your dc up at 3pm x 3 days a week ?

However, to answer your question, No, I wouldn't have gone to a session then.
Lots of little ones would be too tired and grumpy by that time of day.
If you have older ones, you would want to take them all home (or to the park, or you would be on a round of taking them to things like their swimming lessons, or getting home for an early tea so they get to Brownies or whatever).