Play Groups
RIE®-Inspired Infant and Toddler Play Groups (age ~3 months to 28 months).
During our infant and toddler play groups I will demonstrate strategies and provide a roadmap for Respectful Parenting throughout your child’s development. You will learn and practice skills that you can incorporate into daily routines to strengthen and build on your connection with your child and help make parenting easy(er).
Your child will enjoy a facilitated play experience with developmentally appropriate materials while socializing with other infants/toddlers. Children are allowed to explore all materials at their own pace and according to their interests. Parents are invited to closely observe their child’s exploration and discovery. I will use this time to demonstrate how to respectfully set and hold boundaries, model how to encourage autonomy and self-regulation, and use the setting to discuss common areas of concern, including: developmental milestones, sleep, feeding, tantrums, social skills, play, attachment, and much more.
You will likely find these groups to be slow-moving, calming, almost meditative. This is intentional. As Magda Gerber said, “Do less. Observe more. Enjoy most.”
Each group meets weekly from 60 – 90 minutes (varies by cohort). Parent(s)/caregiver(s) attend with their child. Children are grouped according to their stage of motor development and approximate age.
Families join for an 8-week series. Refunds are given if I have to cancel a session but not for absences. Each group is capped at 6 families.
Typical structure of the play group:
- Warm-in
- Snack (provided) for toddler groups
- Quiet observation time
- Discussion of observations and parenting in general
- Tidy-up
- Goodbyes
Registration for the Summer 2024 series:
Registration for the Summer 2024 session will open on May 8th to wait-listed families and to the public on May 9th. If you are interested in joining a group, please sign up for the wait-list.
Play Group Schedule
| Cohort | Day | Time | Summer 2024 Series Dates | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Infants (~3 to 6 months) This group is for pre-mobile babies who spend most of their time on their backs. They might be starting to roll onto their side or their belly or “sundialing”. | Wednesday | 10:15am – 11:15am | May 22 May 29 June 5 June 12 June 19 June 26 July 3 SKIP July 10 July 17 | |
| Rollers and Crawlers (~6 to 12 months) This group is for mobile babies. They might be rolling to move, “inch-worming”, crawling, or other creative movement. (If your baby is pulling to stand and starting to cruise, the Cruisers and Walkers group will be a better fit). | Friday | 10:15am – 11:30am | May 24 May 31 June 7 June 14 June 21 June 28 July 5 SKIP July 12 July 19 | |
| Cruisers and Walkers (~10 to 16 months) This group is for babies who are turning into toddlers. They might be cruising (walking while holding onto furniture), beginning walkers, or confident walkers, and are typically still on a 2 nap schedule. | Thursday | 11:00am – 12:30pm | May 23 May 30 June 6 June 13 June 20 June 27 July 4 SKIP July 11 July 18 | |
| Toddlers (~16 to 22 months) This group is for toddlers who are walking most, if not all, of the time and have transitioned to a 1 nap schedule. | Thursday | 8:30am – 10:00am | May 23 May 30 June 6 June 13 June 20 June 27 July 4 SKIP July 11 July 18 | |
| Older Toddlers (~22 to 28 months) This group is for full blown toddlers. | Friday | 8:15am – 9:45am | May 24 May 31 June 7 June 14 June 21 June 28 July 5 SKIP July 12 July 19 |
Please select the group that most closely matches your child’s current mobility skills (or age for the older groups). You might also want to consider temperament, social skills, and cognitive development if your child is borderline age wise.
Also, there is always going to be a bit of an assortment of abilities in each group and that’s great!
If you’re not quite sure, please reach out, and I can help!
Cost
When registering, you are registering for a full 8-week series (see dates above). Refunds are given if I have to cancel a session but not for absences.
| Package | Cost |
|---|---|
| 8-Week Series | $175 |
If you have twins or triplets or for sliding scale payment options, please contact me.
Location
503 Remington St. Suite 04 | Fort Collins, CO
When you enter the main door, go straight and then down the stairs on the right. Suite 04 is in the middle of the hall on the left side. You are welcome to park in the parking spots on the side and behind the building. There is also ample street parking on Remington or Myrtle.
Ready to join a play group?
