Hold up! There’s a new kind of play group in town, and they’re here to revolutionise the way you arrange play dates! Two savvy former preschool teachers have banded together to come up with Malaysia’s first play date service of its kind.
Amelia and Peaches, both former preschool teachers, have decided it’s time to leave the education scene after having children of their own – but Peaches still yearns to answer the call of the early-years educator. However, they realised they couldn’t commit to the set  times of being a teacher without feeling guilty over leaving their own children. That’s when Play Academy KL was born.
What is it?
Play Academy KL is a service that helps to structure play dates for you and your friends’ little ones. They don’t ask for much – just three kids to form a group and plenty of space to play in! And by “space to play in”, yes, they will make house calls for these play dates. Not only that, but they will also provide the toys and educational games to keep the show going and make sure that your precious tots never go bored.
While still considering themselves as play groups, they have structured their classes to be based on Maria Montessori’s famous philosophy of learning through play. That’s why they prefer to bring their own material because it’s a combination of toys they already have for their children as well as the ones they make themselves – home-made flash cards and wooden toys with parts repainted over and sourced from home design stores. If you’re anything like me, you’ll go crazy over how beautifully done these homemade toys are!
So what happens?
A typical class goes on for about an hour and is held three kids, although three is the preferred number for Amelia and Peaches to play with. Upon arriving, they will start with some free play to settle in with the children for about 15 minutes. But don’t let the free play fool you. “We want the children to learn from the toys, so even during free play sessions, we make sure that they’re constantly learning,” explained Amelia during a phone interview. From free play, the group will move on to what the ladies call “circle time”. During circle time, the group will sit in a circle  and perform basic activities such as introducing themselves, or the days of the week, or maybe to sing some songs.
There are also music and movement sessions. While the play leaders (Amelia and Peaches) aren’t quite the music virtuosos themselves, this doesn’t hold them back! They utilise percussion-type instruments like the castanets or bells to keep the session going and the children have fun moving to the beat.
Later on, the concept of the day is introduced through a series of fun games and craft activities (think Sesame Street’s letter of the day!). This is where you can really see their experience and expertise shine. The games will be structured around what the concept of the day is, and while the children may not notice it, they are secretly learning so much as they go along. The session then wraps up with a goodbye story and a goodbye song, but they will be back for another session of fun!
That sounds amazing! Tell me more!
Play Academy KL has three age-based sessions: Little Ducklings (10-17 months), Â Playful Kittens (18-35 months), and Big Bear Cubs (3-4.5 years). The older the age group, the more activities there will be. For example, the Big Bear Cubs group would have an additional arts and craft session after the concept-of-the-day games, while the Playful Kittens would just end at the concept-of-the-day games.
While Play Academy KL requests that the group have a minimum of three children, a group can go up to six children. Introductory classes are priced at RM65-80 per class, but they also offer packages of 10, 20, 30, and 60 classes. The best part (of many best parts) is that you can have these classes any time you and your friends want!
Right now, they only operate within the Klang Valley area, but preferably anywhere that’s a 15-minute drive from TTDI or Bukit Tunku.
For more information, check out their Facebook page .You can also drop them an email at playacademykl@gmail.com. For this month only, they are currently running a promotion trial classes for free.
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Photo credit: Play Academy KL.
