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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of playgroup

First recorded in 1905–10; play + group

Example Sentences

Schools in a Welsh county are "struggling" to fill their spaces leading to competition for pupils, according to a Welsh language playgroup board member.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

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

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2025

Natasha, 35, has two toddlers who are not in school yet but recently set up a playgroup in Fochriw which meets once a week.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2023

"The name playgroup needs to change because it is not representative of what we do," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2022

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