Hi

My three are in 1st grade this year and I was just wondering at what age/grade do the boys start calling and making arrangements to get together outside of school and their sports teams?

Since kindergarten Erica has been getting phone calls and inviting other girls over, but for some reason the boys don't seem to do this much. The boys mostly play with the neighborhood boys that vary in age/grades from them. (which is fine)

Just wondering.

Thanks.

~Chris
Bradley, Erica and Adam (9-2-01)

Chris,

My trio are in K this year so they're not at all into kiddie 'social networking!" One of my older boys is in 4th grade this year and I'd say that the 'play date' thing didn't really kick off for him until last year in 3rd grade. We had a sleepover or two with his best friend, another failed one where the boy bailed and wanted to go home. Even now, it's not a top priority for him and he's often content to play with boys in the neighborhood (or his many siblings!)

I'd say first grade is pretty young for boys getting together....unless it's a planned b-day party or something like that.

(A funny aside: in the first week of K, my trio came home daily talking about a girl named Jillian in their class and informed me that she was coming to 'sleep over!' Her mom and I shared a great laugh over that one! So cute how they don't really differentiate between sexes for friends at that age!)

Ellyn, the three little Z's(bbb 4/12/02), two littler S's(gb 7/22/04)
and seven other siblings(yes, that's 12!!)

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Just looking over the forum, (my wife is pregnant with triplets), and wanted to say a huge 'felicitations'!

12 children is no simple feat!!! With triplets, and a set of twins, were the other seven born with individual pregnancies?

(Just a sidenote.... my mom never had multiple births, but she had three boys when she was 14-21 years old, then after 15 years with no pregnancies, she had four more children, each two years apart. Hence, the oldest is 42 and the youngest 14).

Again, a congratulations to you. We are awaiting our first (three !)

Rick & Carole

My three boys are in 2nd grade - and we started last year in 1st with more formalized get togethers; with their school friends.
However it is sometimes challenging to coordinate the visits - with sports and other activities kids may be involved with..

Definitley my kids play more with the neighborhood kids - than planned get-togethers with school mates..


Lisa mom to Melanie(28)
Guillermo,Jonathan,William(7 yrs old - born 10.9.01 @34 weeks)
Grandma to Brianna (5)

my oldest son is your trio's age, and from my observations, the majority of boy playdates seem to be very parent driven, especially if you live in an area where after school playmates are already available.

sebastian has friends here in our building, and he's very happy playing star wars with them. however, if i suggest to him that i call victor and arrange a playdate with victor, sebastian is thrilled. wouldn't think of it himself though.....

tess
mummy to 6yr old ds & the triumverate born 2004

"the days are slow but the years fly by quickly"

I don't know if it's a boy/girl thing as much as a personality thing. My 6th grade DD will never call to arrange playdates and never did. My 4th grade DS, on the other hand is a social butterfly. He'll keep calling friends until he finds one that's available. He probably started in 1st grade (calling on his own).

Mine are in kindergarten and they have expressed that they want to get together with particular friends from school. I will usually call up the Mom and arrange to meet at a park or something after school. That has worked for us.

This is something we have really been trying to focus on this year though. My trio had a rough start to kindergarten -- separating from me and each other. Finding and socializing with new friends in each of their classrooms was in my best interests!

Tara

Mom to BBG born at 33wks on 4/3/03

By the end of the Kindergarten my boys started to invite their friends over or asked to go to friends houses. So far (they are in the 2nd grade now), we did not have them sleeping over at their friends houses or thier friend coming to sleep over at our house.

My dd (4th grade) asks for sleepovers quite often. They are mostly with kids of "family friends", so we know parents quite well. Apart from that she only asks for sleepovers with 2 friend from school who she's very close with.

Inna,
mom to Rachael (8/7/99),
Evan, Ari and Josh (5/29/01)