My 2 Year Old

For $5 a year, you can join the Johnson County Kids Day Out & SAHMS meetup group. Just go to the website and sign up and then you have access to the calendar of playdates and meetups. You rsvp for each one individually so you can decide if you want to pay to go to a meetup or not. Many of them are free (peoples homes, parks, libraries, etc)and some are at businesses (Pump It Up, Monkey Bizness, etc). There's usually at least one meetup/playdate a day and often there are several on one day.
http://sahm.meetup.com/2562

My sister inlaw has been taking care of her grandchild sence he was a year old and she takes him to the library for story time each week, when he would go at first he was shy , as time went on he got to know the other children and began to really like it. She also had friends bring there children by to play on occation, now they plan outings to parks and anything free they can find to do. Sometimes the plan trips to the zoo, and dairy farms. J. C

Have you tried the programs at the local library - they cost nothing. Also, if you get involved with Parents as Teachers there are a lot of fun things offered for toddlers - again they cost nothing. The Magic House offers toddler classes that are a blast - they cost $15 for the both of you but that includes admission to the magic house so you can play after class!

I, too, am part of MOMS Club International (the Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, O'Fallon chapter). It is an organization for stay-at-home moms and their children and provides activities every week like playgroups, park days, activity days, MOMS Night Out, etc. I LOVE it! And, our chapter's dues are only $25 a year. A great bargain! To find your local chapter, visit www.momsclub.org. I would highly recommend this group to any moms out there!

Going to the library for story time. Pottery barn has story time. There are mom groups out there where you can get together and meet other moms with kids your child's age and play and talk. Hope that helps.

I'm not sure where you live, but in Lenexa the Community Center has playtime in their gym on Monday's, and Wednesday's from 9-11. It is only a $1.

Your local Parents As Teachers probably has group play times and individual age group meetings. They are free and usually have activities for the kids to interact.

This is difficult to answer without knowing the general region you live in. I live in St Louis & there are TONS of FREE things to do. The best is the zoo, which has a huge playroom called Zoo Imagination. It's primarily for kids 1-9 years old. It's free & all the kids have lots of fun. The zoo, also, is free, as is all the museums. Forest park has another great kid play area across the street from the tennis courts. Down in Kirkwook there is Magic House, which is free every 3rd Friday of the month after 4:30, I believe.
St Louis Mills mall also has an indoor play gym that is free.

The best place to find free things to do, is to simply google "free children's activitities" & include your city. Unless you live in the country, you're sure to find something. It is hard finding playgroups if you're not from the area you now live in. I've found that out first hand, but once you put yourself out there, eventually you'll find others. Good luck!

I also say get in contact with parents as teachers they come to my house once every six weeks and they have two playgroups during the day a month. My daughter is also two and still doesn't talk much either but is getting alot better!

Go to the library. They have storybook time for two year olds once a week. Also our branch has a thomas the train magnetic train and board with bridges, tunnels, and overpasses. The children gather round and even the shy ones will watch for awhile before joining in (no pressure). It's also fun to watch others in action of playing at that age. We also have a wood cabin at our library branch that has a porch, 3 open windows, and bench seating inside. One step up, a porch railing, and a view into the cabin through the open doorway(no door attached) and 3 windows(also open-no glass).It's a fun place to take picture books and read. Large enough to go in and read to your child. Soon however you don't need to be there with them as other kids go in and out. There are comfortable chairs arranged just for the purpose of keeping your eyes and ears open to view the train set up and cabin area. There are always lots of kids, books, and comfortable surroundings-free. They provide water fountains for drinks and restrooms close for relief.

I second the Parents as Teachers program. They come once a month and should give you a monthly calandar of events that they have. The usually have something going on at least once a week for all the different age groups. Call your local school district to sign up. It is free to have the parent educator come visit you and there is rarely a charge for the activities.

You could check a local church group and see if they have something, usually they are free to join. Also, there have been a few great days this month where you could get out to the park. Have you seen some of the new parks that they are designing?! I don't know where you live, but there is a great park in Swansea, IL and another one in Fairview Heights. The one in Fairview is one of my favorites, especially if you go by yourself with the kids. It resembles a large boat and the entire playground area is surrounded by a matching wooden fence and there is only one entrance/exit so you wouldn't have to "hover" over your kids. I like to stay very close to mine and my husband has to tell me to back off sometimes and let them have their own "play time" without Mommy watching them like a hawk, so this one works for me. I still have the reassurance that they can't run off, and I can see them no matter where they go on the playground area without being right by their side.

Your local library should have some progams and help with other groups that might have some activities. Our city has other programs every year for the little ones. Plus our city museum has children oriented areas. Don't forget the parks, some have trails and areas just for kids. Have fun.

I had the same problem with my son. I found a group at my church with kids his age that meets once a week and the kids get to play and do a small bible study every other week and then on the other week the Mom's meet and talk (sort of a very lose bible study for the Mom's) while the kids play. Its not super "church-ish" which is what kept me away from doing it before I did, but you may consider looking into your local churches to see if they have any progams like that. We go to the mall some days, I pack a lunch so I don't spend an arm and leg on food there, but he loves to just walk around the mall, and they have a play area he plays in from time to time, he names the pets in the pet store, etc. and its great excercise for all of us. The YMCA has programs for 2 year olds. We did swimming classes when he was younger, and we had him on a 2 year old soccer team through the Y also, he LOVED that. I just keep my eye out for free or near free programs that I can get him involved in. I also found a day care that took kids on an hourly basis ($6.00/hr.) that I've taken him to a few hours here and there. We'll be siging him up for gymnastics when he turns 3 and I think he'll enjoy that very much as well. We visit the library for story time and he just loves having all the books to choose from there to look at and read, we also belong to Parents as Teachers and they have events about once a month or so. I know its hard to find things that don't cost you a lot of money, but they are there, just be creative, and keep in mind that 2 year olds are very easily entertained.

I'm not sure what is available near where you live. In St. Louis County, the Missouri Conservation Department has a facility called Powder Valley. They have programs for pre-schoolers that are completely free that include story time and nature walks. I think their pre-school programs are offered for ages 3-6, however. But, you can look at their calendar of events and maybe call for more info. Their calander is on-line at http://mdc.mo.gov/events/.

When my son was young, a local community center offered great programs for toddlers and pre-schoolers, such as a gymnastics program and a music and movement program. I think it only cost $1 to $2 for each weekly half-hour program. Also, the local library offered a free half-hour story time each week. So, call a community center, a library, a counselor at your local school, or maybe even a local news paper to see what you can find near-by. In our religion, people are encouraged to provide free neighborhood children's classes with a focus on developing character skills and virtue awareness. You may be able to find something like that in your area.

A popular idea today is to make play-dates. You might be able to find other moms looking for a play-date group through local religious organizations or through the school's PTA in your community.

You could also choose a book on parenting you like and advertise a book club meeting through your library or a local book store. This way, moms could get together to discuss the ideas and strategies in the book while the kids learn to play and you are attracting moms who are interested in learning while they parent. I facilitate a free discussion group once a month for my favorite book, The Family Virtues Guide, by Linda K. Popov. Kids don't come to this discussion group, but you could create a gathering as you wish. You might ask your local community center or church if they would allow space for a combined play-date/moms-book-club meeting. I learned that if something wasn't happening that needed to be happening, I coud be the one to start it. That is why my local community center had a pre-school music and movement program. I taught it!

You might also try to find parents who home-school. They are often pretty good at gathering families together for group activities.

Hope these ideas help you get started.

Good Morning J., WOW I love all the advice on activities you have received. So I am saving most of them. I just recently found a play area at our Wichita Town East Mall. Our 2 youngest gr son's really love going to the Big Toys place...lol Everything there is kid friendly no sharp edges, or to high things to fall from. Corbin will climb anything in sight though. All of the items to play on Boat, Car, Rocket, Caterpillar with tunnel, slide are made with the Solid rubber material.

Also a lot of the libraries have a story time. Looking forward to Monday here.. :))
I haven't had our Gr son's last Friday, I injured my hand last Thursday and have stitches. So we paid for Childcare this week for the boys. I miss my little GUYS..
I think Monday will be the Mall to play for a while.

God Bless J., hope you find something really fun for you and your little one

K. Nana of 5
PS I am going to Google for a place like JoCo Kids Day Out close to Wichita.

Please consider contacting the Parents as Teachers group associated with your school district. Our has a great open play group five days a week. Thanks.

check the library. they usually have age appropriate groups that you can go to once a week or so. they read and sing songs.

Hey J.!

My daughter goes to Parents Day Out at a local church. We did a similar program in NC when we were at Ft. Bragg. She was about 18 months when we were there, so she only went 1 morning per week. She was 2.5 when we started the program here and she went 2 mornings per week. She has since turned 3 and she likes it so much that we've bumped up to 3 mornings per week. She gets to play with friends and I use the time to run the errands like groceries, etc. that she hates going along for.

Back in NC the fee was $40 per month; here the fee is $16 for 9am-1pm, and you only pay when you go. They learn games and songs, get to make crafts and play in the gym or on the playground depending on the weather.

Also, places like Barnes and Noble and local libraries have storytime (free of charge). My daughter LOVES the local Children's Museum back home; not sure what is around here.

Good luck finding something!!

I would recommend contacting your local Parents as Teachers coordinator and try to get enrolled in the program. It's free and they usually have play dates several times a month.

Do any of your friends have kids that age? Can you swap kids for play dates? One week they could be at your house and next week hers...which would give you some mommy time just for you too! (always a bonus there!) Churches are also a good source of play groups if you are a member of one.

Once the weather breaks, I would suggest packing picnics and taking him to the local parks. Most of the SAHMs in our area congregate at one particular park we have here in Atchison so there are always kids for my daughter to play with. Take a bottle of bubbles (with some extra wands) and you are SURE to make instant friends with any child under 10! LOL.

I applaud what your doing for your son...wish I had done this with my eldest but I was so wrapped up in having to care for his sister 17 mos younger that I just didn't have enough hours in the day. Needless to say, he's not nearly as social as she is and often declares he feels "left out" of his friends circles.

Not sure how far you are from Kansas City, but we took our 21 month old to Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park. It is a wonderful place with some amazing animals who are recovering from wounds (they don't looks sick, however). They have some bald eagles that are stunning to see up close. On Saturdays, there is story time at 10am with Mother Nature. Lots to do and touch and they can't get into any trouble. Very kid friendly, free and a great place to be on a cold day.

You might want to check at your local library. They have a great story time in my area. That wway you could meeet other mom with the same problem.
J.

Parents As Teachers is a great orginization, they pretty much close down for the summer and resume when school starts up again, but if you think your son has any language delays they evaluate for free and give you ideas for activities that are developementally appropriate.
Lots of luck
B.

I'm a member of the Mom's Club of Independence. Not sure where you are located but there are other Mom's Club chapters out there. They have play groups and several other activities out there available for SAHM's and their kids. You could almost keep busy every day if you wanted. We also plan a mom's night out monthly. Here is the website for the Independence group - http://momsclubindependence.webs.com. If you are interested but not in Independence go to momsclub.com. There is a link there to find a chapter near you. In addtion to the Mom's Club activities I have Parent's as Teachers come out, find activities through the parks and rec, and use the free kids magazines found at places like BabiesRUs to find things to do around town. Hope that helps!

I can tell you that my 2 year old son does not say more than 50 words. He is a climber and gets what he wants instead of telling you what he wants. He is finally starting to say a new word almost every day. I joined parents as teachers and they try to have at least one play date a month sometimes two. You can also join Pea Tot (it is a news letter/ forum that does play dates all over the St. Louis area. There is a calendar on it to see what is going on in Franklin, Lincoln, St. Charles, or St. Louis county. There are also some other events that they do. I have never made it to an event because of where I live is just too far from most of the events that they do once a month. If you want more info email me ____@____.com Please put something like mama source in the subject line.

Have you looked up to see if a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) or MOM's Club is in your area? (Just goggle it) They are both great organizations for meeting people and getting involved in playgroups and are only like $20/year to join. Well worth it! Good luck!

When I realized that all my friends were working during the day and I was staying at home with my child I decided that I was the one who was going to have to change things. I wanted friends who I could call up during the day and talk kid stuff. I had met one other woman who was feeling the same. We decided to create our own playgroup--gave it a name but didn't publicize it to everyone. We just spread it word of mouth. Our funny motto was, if you meet a "normal" mom with a child our kids age, invite her to the next group. We started meeting one day a week from 9-11 at someone's home, rotating homes. We started by having the host home provide breakfast. Eventually it changed to 10-12 with just snacks. Now we include outings where we go to free or inexpensive places around the city. I hope that helps you. Email is a great way of communicating with other moms. The kids aren't the only one's who reap the benefits of playgroups.

There are so many opportunities for children to socialize within the community. Look for playgroups, go to the library and parks, if you go to church see if there is a class or nursery for him. I, personally, would not go with structure classes right now. I believe that two is way too young for that. You might look for a MOP event (mothers of preschoolers) or Mommy and Me classes. Those are just some ideas. :^)

K.

Look for a local Parents As Teachers group with your school system. Ours makes home visits and has play dates certain times each week and doesn't cost anything. They will also have seminars you can attend occasionally and other fun family events.

A couple of ideas. Check out your local library.
Most have weekly reading sessions where they read
stories, and the kids do crafts. They often do
special programs like puppet shows, magicians, etc.
once a month. My kids used to love it. If you're
in a big metro area, you can go to several different
branches for various programs.

Also, lots of churches have MOPS groups. Mothers
of preschoolers. It's a great time for them
to socialize while you do too.

In the KC metro area, there are also lots of great
parks. Check out the Parks and Rec department of
your city and see what types of programs they
have to offer.

Good luck.

I don't know if your school district has a Parents As Teachers group, but this is how I got my son out to interact with children his age. And met some great moms too! Other ideas would be your local library, park, and church.

Do you have MOPS groups in your area? My daughter-in-law has found a great group of Mommy's at the library.

Theres lots of storytimes at local librarys, just google it. Also I take my son to the mall at the play place, its free and the kids love it!

I would look into MOPS, some offer scholarship money. At this stage in the year you may be able to pay per meeting. Google MOPS for the website. Also join a church bible study, they usually have free childcare and you get to visit and learn with other women and moms.

I would definitely say try Parents As Teachers - they can help with EVERYTHING, including resources for socializing. Also, something like Moms Club would be beneficial since you'll have an endless pool of info from all the other moms! Good luck!