Expectations: These playgroups are intentionally slow paced with a focus on child-directed movement and play, from young infancy through toddlerhood.

Adults are invited to sit back, do less, and observe more, freeing themselves from feeling like they need to entertain, instruct, or distract their baby. We’ll be activiely practicing what it looks like to intervene less so we can see our children with more clarity and trust.

This playgroup is not about teaching your child how to achieve their next milestones nor is it about prescribing certain exercises, activities, games, or toys to “enhance” their development.

However, we will explore how a hands-off yet deeply attuned approach naturally does enhance your baby’s development, while taking the burden of constant engagement with your baby off your plate.

Together, we’ll explore the role of attunement and tenderness during caregiving tasks, laying the foundation for a respectful, collaborative, and joyful parent-child relationship. To better help you learn and enjoy your time in the group, I (Shannon) will model how I approach the babies’ interactions and movement challenges in a way that exemplifies trust in your child’s competence while intervening when necessary. Keeping an open mind to new ways of seeing and interacting with babies and toddlers will help you get the most out of your time in the playgroup. ☻

Class flow: Each class will start with some time to casually chat and catch up with fellow adults, followed by a discussion topic, then quiet observation of the children’s activities with minimal interruption. After the quiet observation period, we’ll have a chance to discuss what we observed and the topic of the day, as well as any questions that come up.

The environment will have age-appropriate, open-ended materials for the babies to interact with throughout the class as well as structures that encourage varied gross motor exploration.

In the toddler classes, a group snack of bananas and water will be served.

We’ll wrap up by engaging in a bit of group tidying of the play materials, then finish off with a group goodbye song.

CLICK HERE to see a video from the official RIE® Youtube channel that explains the general class flow and shows the types of materials the children engage with in class.

Pikler + RIE:

This group generally follows the guidance of the RIE approach to child development, coined by a woman named Magda Gerber. Magda’s work with infants is based on the research and observations of Dr. Emmi Pikler, a Hungarian pediatrician praciticing in the 1930s and 40s. Dr. Pikler observed that when babies were allowed to naturally develop their gross motor movements at their own pace, their posture, quality of movement, risk assessment, and trust in their bodies improved.

Another important feature of the work of Pikler and Gerber is the importance of collaborative, slow-paced, and present caregiving when engaging in activities like diapering + toileting, feeding, bathing, and dressing your child. This quality of presence during caretaking tasks lays a beautiful foundation for a secure attachment between you and your baby.

Montessori:

The Montessori approach to infancy also values freedom of movement as well as responsive, attuned caregiving. A key principle of Montessori is the prepared environment, which includes the emotional preparation of the adult as well as the preparation of the physical space. As children move into toddlerhood, Montessori emphasizes preparing these environments to maximize the child’s ability to contribute to family life, which bolsters their self-esteem and supports their growing desire for autonomy.

Most importantly, both of these approaches see the child as inherently capable and internally driven to learn. Our role is simply to provide the environment and care that awakens the child’s natural instincts to play and learn.

Because I’ve learned from a range of child development and respectful caregiving models, I’ll often bring these into discussions when relevant.

Natural gross motor development is the simple act of letting babies move through their movement development on their own timeline. We trust that they will roll, crawl, sit, stand, and walk when they’re ready. These playgroups embrace natural gross motor development and honor each child’s unique developmental timeline.

This means that during class time, young babies are placed on the play mat on their backs when not being held or cared for. We avoid putting babies on their bellies or propping them up to sit before they can do it themselves.

Back-lying provides young babies a large visual field, the ability to comfortably pivot their head around, as well as opportunities to coordinate their arm and leg movements to meet or cross their midline.

For older babies, we let them explore by slithering, crawling, cruising, climbing, and walking in their own time, avoiding spotting them or moving their bodies for them.

This helps them feel in charge of their own body and safe in their movement experiences.

Links to explore more about Natural Gross Motor Development”

Podcast: The Joy in Letting Babies Move Freely

Pediatric OT Article: Why You Should Not Rush Your Child—Floor Time Baby!

Scientific Article: Building Your Baby From the Ground Up; In Defense of Free-Range and Child-Led Movement

When considering group placement, it’s key to account for your child’s stage of mobility and age. While there are general age ranges listed above to provide some guidance, I honor each child’s unique motor development timeline and you should not feel bound to one group by the listed age range. If you are unsure about which group would best suit your child, let’s connect and talk about it!

There is a wide range of “typical” development, and your child’s placement in either group is not a measure of how “advanced” or “behind” they are. Every child’s developmental timeline is worth trusting. ☻

These playgroups welcome any child with developmental or physical differences as long as parents think that their child would benefit from the approaches embraced in these playgroups.

I welcome conversations about how your developmentally unique child might benefit from this style of playgroup.

Address:

2530 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley (94702)

Suite D

Parking: There is metered street parking on San Pablo Ave near the building, though it can be full on weekdays. No parking fees needed in the metered spots on Sundays. Consider parking on nearby neighborhood streets and walking. Parker, Blake, and 10th Streets will have unpaid residential parking.

There is plenty of indoor bike and stroller parking available!

Accessibility: The play space is on the ground level and the building is ADA-compliant.

Bathrooms: There are two single-sex bathrooms with stalls, and two all-gender private bathrooms with changing tables in the building. The bathrooms are ADA compliant.

A diaper-changing area will be available inside the the play space.

Each baby’s primary caregiver(s) are always welcome to join each group.

Once we are a few weeks into the session, additional observers are also welcome to come. If you have a nanny, grandparent, family member or friend who you’d like to invite, please reach out to let me know a few days beforehand, and give them a quick briefing on what to expect from the group.

Please limit attendance to 1 to 2 primary caregivers + 1 to 2 adult guests for any given class.

I may also occasionally have guests come observe and will let you know ahead of time who is there. Guests of mine who may visit may be mentors of mine, students, family members, or friends interested in learning more about these playgroups.

Babies should be dressed in well-fitting, but not restrictive clothing so that they can access their full range of movement. Avoid non-stretch fabrics like denim as well as styles like skirts and dresses that can easily get caught under baby's hands, feet, and knees. Remove socks, shoes, booties, pacifiers, and mittens so they have free access to their hands and feet and mouth, which are key to taking in their environment.

Adults can dress as they like keeping in mind that they will be seated on the floor and will be asked to remove shoes before entering. The studio temperature can fluctuate depending on outside temps, so dressing in layers that can be easily added or taken off can be helpful.

Please refrain from wearing any strong fragrances. 

This playgroup is a time to be deeply present. Phones should be on Silent, Do Not Disturb, or Airplane mode. You are welcome to take a few quick photos of your own child. If you’d like to take a picture with other children in it, please consult the caregivers of that child.

Generally, phones should stay stowed away for the duration of class so you can fully engage in sensitive observation.

Frequency of attendance is of course up to you, but I hope you’ll come for each date listed in the series! Sessions have 8 meet-ups so that children and families get to know each other, which helps everyone settle in to more easeful play.

Late arrivals: it can be tricky to get out the door with young children! Arrive as soon as you can and enter the space calmly. To get the most out of your time in the group, arrive within 15 minutes of the listed start time. We jump into quiet observation about 20-30 minutes into the playgroup, so be mindful of entering quietly if you’re running especially late.

If you know ahead of time you’re going to be late or absent, please send me a quick message via email or text. I often have each child in mind when setting up the space, and your child’s presence or absence often determines what materials I choose for the group.

Free trials are not available, but you can arrange to come observe a playgroup before signing up. ☻

Observations are adult-only, meaning if you have a baby, your baby cannot attend with you.

A great time to arrange an observation would be when you’re expecting or when you feel comfortable enough to spend a little over an hour away from your baby so you have enough time to observe a playgroup session, which is 1.5 hours long.

Observations are available not only to parents or soon-to-be parents, but also to anyone curious to learn more about what respectful caregiving looks like in practice, including grandparents, nannies, sitters, students, etc. Use this Contact Form to reach out and schedule an observation.

While I always aim to be considerate of each family’s circumstances and understand that life comes with unexpected twists and turns, I am also a very small, one-person business and I spend a lot of time making sure these playgroups are warm, informative, and inviting for the families attending.

Refunds + Withdrawals:

While I don’t automatically offer refunds for withdrawals, I do want to hear you out if something comes up or isn’t working for you. I will consider individual refunds on a case-by-case basis, but please understand that if you commit to attending a playgroup and then withdraw, it can be difficult to find someone to fill your spot.

If you find that you have to withdraw before the playgroup begins, please give me at least 7 days notice if you’d like a full refund. If you decide to withdraw last-minute (within 6 days or fewer of the playgroup start date), you will receive a partial refund of 30% of what you paid for the playgroup.

Missed Classes:

I do not offer make-ups if your family has to miss a playgroup day. Make-up dates are only scheduled if class is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. You will be notified of cancellations via email as soon as they come up. Make-up classes or refunds will be offered in this is the case.

In a space where materials will be shared among infants who often explore things with their mouths, it’s important to keep your child home when they’re unwell. Please stay home if either you or your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Temperature at or exceeding 100 °F (37.5 °C)

• Diarrhea or vomiting in the last 48 hours

• Discharge from eyes

• Excessive, runny mucus from nose

• Productive, persistent, rumbling cough

• Unidentified rash, bumps, or sores

• Unusual lethargy

We trust that you will use your sound judgment when deciding if your child is in good enough shape to attend the play group. We are counting on caregivers to make sure the community stays healthy and well.

If you are unclear about whether or not your child should attend, a good question to ask yourself is, “How would I feel if another child showed up like this to class?”

Thank you in advance for taking the appropriate precautions in keeping the community well!