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Dear all,


Just wondering whether the people who post on this wonderful forum have any recommendations for playgroups, classes and other places in SE22 and SE23 where there are plenty of pre-school 3-4 year olds around? We've just moved to the Canonbie Rd (close to Forest Hill/E Dulwich/Nunhead junction) and would love to find some good places to take our 3 and a half year old son on Weds, Thurs or Fri when he has a mixture of parental and nanny care (he goes to day nursery Mon/Tues). In Clapham where we lived before, there seemed to be relatively few places where older pre-school kids tended to go and I'd love to find some good places locally to meet up with other kids close to his age and their parents


Thank you very much for any suggestions!

Hi sglanzer,


Just some ideas off the top of my head:


-Dulwich Park (cafe, playground, whippersnappers playgroup, etc)

-Peckham Rye Park (one o'clock club)

-Horniman Museum (loads to do for kids of that age group)

-The Sandpit opposite the Horniman

-Marsden Road Wild Life Centre (SE15, but close and lovely)

-Dulwich Library

-Goose Green community centre/St. John's church has a play group

-All Fired Up (as a treat I take my two to paint ceramics here)


I'm sure there's a million other things. If you get a copy of the SE22 magazine there is a whole listing of playgroups and classes.


Hope that helps.

Thanks very much - all great places, many of them part of what has attracted us to this area. We'd be especially interested in any other suggestions about playgroups/classes etc. where he might meet kids of his own age on a regular basis. I'll take a look at SE22 mag and other local websites too.


Hopefully at some point he'll go to a local pre-school/nursery school, but we are a bit in limbo at the moment having moved after the main applications phase, so he might be later than smoe of his peers in getting this type of place.

I asked the same thing a few months ago - you might be able to find the thread. But the gist was that there's not a lot in terms of organised groups for that age. The things I have found good are Whippersnappers music, Little Kickers (both surestart) and some of the library sessions.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to meet up with me and my 4 year old boy (and 10 month old) - we're near Sainsbury's

Hi there,

I live just round the corner from you and have an almost 3 year old and a 4 year old. Also emigrated from Clapham...

We're always up for new playmates - especially now the long summer holiday is approaching. PM me if you want to meet up, or some tips on the local area. Wednesday afternoons and Fridays are good for us.

Hope you're enjoying some good views.

I'm up for a meeting of 3/4 yr olds in the afternoon! Pm me if you decide to meet up East Dulwich way..... (Dulwich Park, Horniman Sands, Wildlife Garden etc)...My experience is that there is not that much organised stuff for this age group. We just tend to meet up with friends - but my 3yr old, being the middle one, could do with some more mates of his own.
Thank you for the suggestions re meeting up with these members of the awkward post-toddler/pre-school ageband. I and I think at least one of you could do 3ish at Horniman Sandpit this Friday. Or museum if wet. Anyone else interested in that? Do pm me if so.
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 years later...

Hi sglanzer


I take my 3yo to a playgroup at Malham Road Christian Centre on Fridays 9.30-11.30, it's ?1 including a drink and snack for children and coffee and cake for adults; a mix of ages attend but always a few 3-4yos. Very friendly and welcoming.

Muddy Boots is a lovely outdoor playgroup and I think it's on Monday and Friday at the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve, if you check out facebook I think the page is called Muddy Boots at Devonshire Road. Drop in, run by a lovely mum called Holly and if you have a little chap who likes trains then there is a train line at the bottom of the nature reserve where you see trains every 5-10 mins :) I think I paid ?10 for two kids (maybe ?6 and ?4?) and then Holly also provides a biscuit and squash or hot choc!

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