Creating or joining a mom group is an awesome way to meet and connect with other ladies who are at your stage in life. Over time, these women can become your sounding boards, your shoulder to cry on, and your closest friends. Keep things fresh and fun in your mom group with these creative mom group activities.
Ice Breakers to Get the Party Started
Joining a mom group is a fantastic way to make new friends, release stress, and try new things. Like any new grouping of people, the initial days of a mom group can be a bit awkward as everyone gets to know one another. Try using an icebreaker with your new friends to make everyone feel at ease.
The Tropical Island Must-Haves
Icebreakers serve the primary purpose of getting everyone comfortable and chatty while at the same time not being too extra off the bat. This ice breaker is perfect because it highlights the members' personalities without making anyone on the shyer side feel too put on the spot. Everyone goes around the group and shares the three things they would need to survive on a tropical island. Set rules at the beginning of the icebreaker that states no one can say food, water, or people because clearly food and water are necessary, and no mom can live without their children!
3, 2, 1
This is another simple activity that gets everyone talking, highlights a few fun facts about members in the group, and creates some comfort moving forward. In 3, 2, 1, everyone in the group takes a turn sharing 3 things that everyone should know about the sharer, 2 places the sharer would love to visit if they could, and 1 thing they would do if there were no rules or worries, a restriction-free pass!
Example:
"Three things everyone should know about me is that I hate olives, I was born at home, and I love Marvel movies.
The two places I would go to if I could are Australia and Spain.
If I could do anything, no restrictions, I would go on a trip by myself and do nothing but sleep and eat take out in bed."
Games for Moms Who Just Wanna Have Fun
Games aren't just for the kiddos. Moms wanna have fun too! Light-hearted games are a great way to let loose, unwind and leave the stresses of parenting behind, even if only for a few hours. These easy games will have the ladies in your mom group rolling in laughter.
Play With Your Purses
Have you ever looked inside a mother's purse? It is amazing how much can get packed into a mommy handbag, but what is even more shocking is the types of items often found lurking in the depths of a mother's handbag. Everyone in your mom's group can play these fun games; all they need is their purse.
- Handbag Grab -Everyone dives into their purse or diaper bag for this game and pulls out the most shocking or disgusting thing that they can find. See who pulls a receipt out from the year 2018, who is still holding onto a half-eaten sucker, and who has a rogue baby sock in her bag for absolutely no reason.
- Purse Alphabet Game - In a bowl, place cards with letters of the alphabet. Pull a card out and read the letter. If the letter "A" gets pulled, all moms dive into their bags searching for an item that starts with the letter A. Moms who have an item that matches the letter card get a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game earns a gift card to Starbucks or a bottle of wine.
- Purse Bingo - Create bingo cards with words like lipstick, gum, pen, glasses, receipt, wrapper, flashlight. All the words on the bingo card must be things that commonly or rather uncommonly are found in a handbag. Have a caller volunteer to call out the words and see who earns themselves a bingo!
Makeup Mishap
Remember when you all spent hours perfecting your face for a night out on the town? These days, you are lucky to scrub the crust off and get your contacts in correctly. Channel your younger clubbing days with a game called makeup mishap. Form teams of two moms. Each team gets an array of cheap makeup (purchase new items at a dollar store or discount store.) One mom blindfolds herself and applies makeup to her partner. Once the blindfolds come off, everyone will be in hysterics at the masterpiece faces that have been created.
Minute to Win It
Everyone has heard of mom brain before. Once you have children, your wits dim, and it is simply harder to think up things on the fly. Get the gang sharp with Minute to Win It! A category is given, and moms have one minute to name as many items under that category as they possibly can. Whoever has the most items under a category wins, and whoever takes the most rounds is the champion!
Straw in the Hair
Detailed hairdos are another thing that flies out the window once babies are born. Goodbye curls and blowouts, hello buns, and lopsided ponytails. Play on your hair days of yesteryear with a game called Straw in the Hair. Give everyone a large helping of straws and one rubber band. Set a timer for five minutes and see who can strategically place the most straws securely into their hairstyle. Create a gift bag of hair care supplies for the winner of the game.
Get Your Learn on With These Mom Group Activities
There is so much that you can pack into the time that your mom group meets, and it doesn't have to be all fun and games. Use this time to try new things and learn new skills. Considering everyone's busy lives, when else are you going to make time to clear out the mommy brain fuzz and get your mind moving?
Start a Sewing Circle
Take your precious mom group time to all learn a new skill. Tap into the resources sitting in front of you via the group members and do a different tutorial each week. One idea is to learn sewing basics. If someone in the group can lead you through this, great! Don't stop with sewing! Think of countless other special skills and talents that group members possess and are willing to share with their new friends.
Do a Recipe Exchange
Cooking for families gets old really fast. One activity that mom groups might consider doing is a recipe exchange. Each mom brings a tried-and-true recipe to the group, making copies for every group member. They take a few moments to explain the recipe and share the steps in making it. Members can also pre-make the dish, and everyone can pass around a spoonful to try. How great would it be to leave mom group with a full belly and a handful of new dishes to share with your family!
Learn CPR
Invite someone certified into your group to hold a special class on CPR certification. This is something that all parents will want to know and keep in their back pocket because emergencies do unfortunately pop up.
Book of the Month
Book clubs are fun activities for ladies to engage in, so why not work a book club into your mom group? Discussing each week might be too weighty, taking away from other fun activities to try, so play on the book club concept and create a Book of the Month program. Each month, announce the book and ask members to read it at their leisure. At the end of the month, dedicate one club day to discussing the monthly read.
Everybody in the Club Get Crafty
Everyone in your mom group probably has a Pinterest page, so bring those ideas to life as one of your mom group activities. Create wreaths, garden items, table centerpieces, or kitchen signs in your time together.
Mom Group Activities That Gets Everyone Out of the House
Field trip time! Get your group out of their homes and into the world. You remember the world, right? Many moms find themselves so busy with kids, chores, and domestic duties that the thought of leaving the house and doing something just for them doesn't seem possible. Take your mom group activities to the next level and discover places to go and things to do in your local and surrounding community.
Give Back by Volunteering
Games are great, and learning new skills is excellent too, but giving back to the community is something that will fill your heart with gratitude and recharge your human battery. Incorporating a volunteering opportunity into a mom group will help bond you all together in the experience. Set up a time for everyone to work at a homeless shelter for an afternoon or pitch in at a soup kitchen. Organize your own moms' group backyard clean-up where you all meet at a local park and pick up trash or weed garden beds.
Join an Exercise Class
Between babies, dishes, snacks, and laundry, you are likely running low on time to burn those calories. Use your mom group time to stretch your muscles and get fit. If everyone is game, have the group meet at a local yoga class each week. If that feels too aggressive, create a walking group with mom group members once a week. If a mom in the group knows her way around a yoga mat, set up a makeshift studio in the backyard and Namaste the day away.
Restaurant of the Month Club
Going out to eat has probably become an elusive activity reserved for birthdays and anniversaries. Use your mom group time to gather at local eateries and dine out sans kids. Choose one place a month to hold your local mom group at. Pick from new restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and even wine bars if your group can free up time in the evening. This is something that everyone will be looking forward to all month long.
Get Lost in the Woods
There is so much to do outdoors, and fresh air is great for everyone. Take your mom group into the natural world and explore. You could hike, birdwatch, explore local gardens, try some hands at photography, or pick fruit. The possibilities here are pretty endless.
Benefits to Mom Groups
Becoming a mother is a rewarding, life-changing, fulfilling experience, but that doesn't mean that it is all roses and sunshine. Mommyhood can also be scary, lonely, and isolating. Surrounding yourself with mom friends in the same boat as you is an excellent way to connect with others and share your experiences, successes, and concerns. Every mom needs a little bit of support now and again, so why not join a mom group and walk through life with women who want to love, encourage and support you?
