It's Playtime!

Kids nowadays don't only go to pre-school but also have playgroups from 6 months up. I first brought my baby to Gymboree in Central and my daughter loved the games and singing. I was the one who ended up getting exhausted after because the parents also had to do a bit of exercising too. I was proud though because other moms were asking me how I trained my daughter because she was very sociable and knew how to crawl up the ramps at 7 months. But, in all honesty, I don't think babies are "trained" but just act how they're meant to be. However, because we have a playground in our complex (which is not very common in Hong Kong), my baby used to go down to play with the other babies every afternoon and that probably formed her social skills.

A couple weeks ago, I brought her to another playgroup in My Gym, Hung Hom. Their facilities included more games and exercise equipment for babies. My daughter was screaming as soon as we entered because of all of the toys around. She particularly loved the plastic balls, swing and pull-up bar. I wouldn't think twice about bringing her again to this baby gym.

Right beside MyGym is Kindermusik, which is where I plan to take her next. My daughter is starting to dance when she hears the jingle of her fave shows on TV (Boogie Beebies, Teletubbies and Little Robots on CBeebies). I'm happy she likes music too and would like to see how that would develop later on.

A friend of mine brings her daughter to Block-A-Lot which supposedly enhances creativity with blocks and also has baby swimming classes in the afternoon. Will probably join her next time.

It's amazing how kids have so many activities at this age. Some still question if this is really good for the babies or is it merely a marketing ploy? I think there are no prerequisites that babies attend "school" at this age but it would be good for them to be exposed to more organized play. I don't think I'll ever get to play with her the same way at home (aside from the fact that I don't have all these equipment).

Nowadays, parents don't only ask what university your child is going to but what playgroup she is attending. Fascinating!