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

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

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

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2025

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

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2022

That same year he married Sylvia Tischler, whom he had met in a Hebrew school playgroup when he was 5.

From New York Times • Nov. 3, 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