It's All Fun And Games For Danbury Kids At New Playgroups

On a recent Thursday morning, the noise of children at play could be heard just inside the cafeteria at Park Avenue School in Danbury. Several kids, ranging in age from 9 months to 4 years old, were busy at play along with their mothers.

The morning of fun started as Angelina Stojakovic, a parent coach from the Danbury Education Services Center, brought out a box of toys to share.

The Play to Learn Playgroup takes place on Mondays and Thursdays at Park Avenue School from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. and Wednesdays at the Danbury Library from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Pre-registration is not required. 

The playgroups are run by the Danbury Family Learning Center.

The first part of the group time is playtime, followed by stretching, a dance to a song, a storytelling time, and then an arts and crafts activity. When the children clean they sing along as Stojakovic calls out, “Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up.” Kids of all ages know the popular song sung by "Barney and Friends."

The children also did stretches and danced to "London Bridge," ducking under a "bridge" built by Stojakovic and another parent with their upraised arms. 

After the dance, Stojakovic read a story about a piggy and an elephant. Then, the kids along with their mothers made paper pigs and elephants as their arts and crafts project.

The playgroup is designed for children up to age 4 to help them prepare for kindergarten.

Every day, in each month, there are various types of activities held in different locations in Danbury for preschoolers and their parents or caregivers. These activities include waffle day, plant a flower day, and National Agriculture Day, just to name a few. A link to the calendar can be found online.  

To learn more about month-to-month activities, visit the Danbury Family Learning Center website. 

The Play to Learn Playgroups is part of the Strong Start Neighborhood Project launched by the United Way of Western Connecticut with support from the Danbury Promise for Children Partnership.

For more information email, Dalylo@danbury.k12.ct.us or call Loren Daly at the Danbury Family Learning Center Inc. at 203-797-4734.

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