If the highlight of your week is socializing with strangers at the grocery store, you may need to broaden your horizons. I’ve been there. I actually love grocery shopping and chatting with the old ladies that can’t resist commenting on my little crew. However, there are better places you and your little one can go to satisfy your need for human connection.

Here are three super simple ways to start having more fun with your little one and building your community

1. Go to your local library’s Story Time:

This is the absolute easiest way to meet and socialize with other parents. Simply find your local library’s website and look for story time details. Most are held during the day and are categorized by the children’s age. If you’re a working mom, check your county’s library website to see if there are evening or weekend story times in your region. 

Once you’ve found a story-time, all you need to do is show-up! Library story-times are quick, fun, and interactive. Don’t worry if you have a wriggly child that won’t sit still. There are usually simple activities and music along with a short engaging story. Plus, they’ll be in good company with other wriggly kids. 

If you aren’t finding an active community at your local library, check out others in the area. Our favorite library for story-time is actually out-of-state. We check out books at our nearest location, but go to story-time in another town. 

I’ve found that most parents at story-time are happy to chat with other parents. However, don’t be discouraged if it takes time to connect with other parents. If you keep going weekly, you’ll start to be a familiar face and your child will start making friends.

2. Find a Mom Group On Facebook:

I know, they can be cringey. Be encouraged though, for every mom group out there shaming parents for using formula or buying non-organic veggies, there are a dozen thriving groups of supportive women. To find a Facebook Group in your area, follow these steps:

1. Log into Facebook
2. On the left sidebar, find Groups
3. In the “search groups” bar write your location + “mom”
4. Browse the groups and join a few. Be sure to read the rules and get a feel for the group before posting. A lot of groups require you to confirm your location and promise not to spam the group or self-promote.
5. Start interacting with other moms. You can start with a post introducing yourself or just join in the conversations. In most active groups, there will already be some scheduled events or meet-ups. Choose a simple play date to start, like a local playground meet-up. 

This is a low-pressure way to meet other parents. Don’t worry about being a newbie. If they didn’t want others to join, they wouldn’t have shared it in the mom group. Most events like this are hosted by someone who is outgoing and wants to build a community. When I started going to meetups, I would pack a perfect lunch and dress nicer than usual. I quickly realized that most moms just show-up. Be yourself and let the connections come organically. You’re more likely to find the right people that way.

3. Mommy-and-me group activities:

There are plenty of activities for parents & little ones to do together. Look out for workout groups, music classes, hiking groups, bible studies or swim lessons. If you aren’t finding anything that interests you, try looking at your county’s park and recreation page. You can likely find weekly activities there for a low cost. We are absolutely loving our local hiking group!

Find an activity that you will actually enjoy! You’re more likely to have fun and find like-minded parents if you join a program that interests you. 

I hope you enjoyed these three simple ways to socialize and meet new people!