playgroup

American  

[pley-groop] / ˈpleɪˌgrup /

noun

1. a group of small children, especially preschoolers, organized for play or play activities and supervised by adult volunteers.

---

playgroup British  

/ ˈpleɪˌɡruːp /

noun

1. a regular meeting of small children arranged by their parents or a welfare agency to give them an opportunity of supervised creative play See also preschool playschool

---

Etymology

Origin of playgroup

First recorded in 1905–10; play + group

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

playgroup

Coral Jeffery says she has developed asthma in the past six years and her daughter, Ms Stewart, who runs the playgroup, has noticed children's health deteriorating.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025

She is pleased that her child "can play with others at playgroup".

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025

On a random Sunday, there were 15 posts: one about a playgroup location, and 14 about free things.

From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2025

At a playgroup in the Orkney mainland town of Kirkwall, women said they would like to get tested for the gene.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2023

Beyond them, in a town park, Anglo mothers and fathers spilled from VW buses and bugs to pick up their kids who had been in a Monday-Wednesday playgroup.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• kindergarten
• nursery school