Understanding Childhood Social Interactions & Playdate Dynamics

Share your experiences navigating playdates, community connection, and the realities of supporting your child's social world today. Your honest insights will directly shape future support tools for families.

What ages are your children?

How important do you consider regular, informal play with friends to be for your child’s social and emotional development?

Extremely important

Somewhat important

Not at all important

What is your main reason for wanting your child to have time with friends?

My child asks to see friends

I want them to have stronger friendships

I want them to feel included / like they belong

I want them to build social confidence

I want them to have more unstructured play

I want them off screens / active

I like connecting with other parents

Thinking of one child, how many playdates or casual kid hangouts did they have in the past 30 days? (If you have multiple children, please choose one and answer with them in mind for the rest of this survey).

7 or more playdates

Which of the following best describes your feelings regarding the frequency of your child's current playdates?

My child has far fewer playdates than I would like.

My child has slightly fewer playdates than I would like.

My child has the ideal amount of playdates.

My child has more playdates than our family can comfortably manage.

How satisfied are you with your child’s current social confidence?

Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat unsatisfied

When was the last time you personally initiated or tried to schedule a playdate?

In the last 2–4 weeks

In the last 1–3 months

More than 3 months ago

I primarily respond to playdate invitations rather than initiating them.

We do not participate in playdates at all.

What usually prompts you to think, “I should set up a playdate right now”? (Select all that apply)

Which of these tools have you used to organize or respond to a playdate in the last 6 months? (Select all that apply)

Thinking about the last playdate you organized or tried to organize, what got in the way or made it harder than it should have been? (Select all that apply)

Which of the following best describes how your family keeps track of schedules and availability?

We use a shared family calendar (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Cozi, etc.) as our main source of truth.

One parent maintains the family's schedule in their personal calendar.

Each parent keeps their own calendar and we coordinate between them.

We primarily rely on work calendars plus conversations/texts.

We use a paper calendar, planner, or wall calendar as our main source of truth.

We mostly coordinate through texts, memory, or informal communication.

How often do you find yourself skipping or delaying a playdate simply because the coordination (figuring out who, when, and where) feels like too much effort?

When you think about your child’s friendships and social circles, what is your single biggest worry or anxiety as a parent?

When you think about helping your child build friendships, what works better for your family?

Both work equally well for us

If you were to join a playdate group, what would you want out of it most? (Select up to 3)

Helping my child meet new kids with similar hobbies or interests

Helping my child develop stronger social skills

Finding an easier way to plan playdates

Connecting more deeply with kids in my child's school

Finding a safe, supportive group for kids with specific sensory or developmental needs

Discovering fun, pre-planned local events and outings

Connecting with a community of fellow parents

Imagine you had a personal assistant who knew your child’s friends, your schedule, your usual places, and your preferences. What would you want that assistant to do for you? Which of these would be most helpful? (Select up to 3)

Prompting me when it is time to schedule a playdate

Suggesting who to invite based on my child’s friends and preferences

Finding times that work for both families' schedules

Suggesting where to meet based on our usual locations

Suggesting what the kids could do based on their shared interests

Following up with the other parent to ensure the plan gets finalized

Confirming final details and adding the event to my calendar

Coordinating transportation or carpooling logistics

Ensuring the coordination effort feels shared between both families

If a digital playdate assistant that handled those tasks existed today, how likely would you be to switch your playdate planning over to it?

Definitely would switch

Probably would switch

Might or might not switch

Probably would not switch

Definitely would not switch

Do you currently pay for any convenience subscriptions or services? (Select all that apply)

Does your child have any specific developmental, sensory, or neurodivergent needs that influence how you approach playdates?

Prefer not to answer

No specific diagnoses or additional needs

ADHD / ADD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Anxiety (including Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, or Selective Mutism)

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or specific sensory sensitivities

Speech, Language, or Communication Delay

Depression or Mood Disorders

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or other behavioral/disruptive conditions

Learning Disability (e.g., Dyslexia, Auditory Processing Disorder)

Developmental Coordination Disorder / Dyspraxia or physical/motor delays

Intellectual or Global Developmental Delay

My child does not have a diagnosis, but I suspect they have neurodivergent or sensory needs