Mercy Fluker’s twins Montgomery and Grayson are regulars at Atrium Health Navicent’s Social Butterflies weekly playgroups. They travel from their home in Eatonton to socialize with other children and participate in activities designed by experts at Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Care Pediatric Developmental and Behavioral Health.
“I’m a stay-at-home mom, so it’s just me and them most of the time. It’s great to come for the socialization. They love being around other kids, so that’s awesome. It’s also helpful for them to be around experts who know what they’re doing as far as guided play,” she said.
Social Butterflies celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month with an event at Giggles and Wiggles, an indoor playground on Zebulon Road in Macon.
The weekly playgroup typically meets at Atrium Health Navicent and provides structured activities targeting language and motor skills. Caregivers are provided ideas about how to facilitate activities to target development in fun and engaging ways.
The free program has two weekly sessions on Friday mornings, which are both centered around a theme. Sessions may include songs or crafts, but always include an obstacle course or opportunity to move and explore. Each session is concluded with a snack and a caregiver handout detailing how to carryover the weekly theme and activities at home.
During its first year, Social Butterflies served about 65 children ages 1-3 from across central Georgia. In addition to its other services, the playgroup also offers an opportunity to screen children and provide referrals, if needed, for formal speech and/or language evaluations, occupational therapy or developmental evaluations.
“There are many children who do not attend daycare programs. Because of that, they are limited in their interactions with same-aged peers. We wanted to provide an opportunity for children to play, while also making it beneficial for childhood development. We consider ourselves to be a community resource where caregivers can share their concerns and determine if additional intervention is needed for their child,” said Zhang.
To sign up your child for Social Butterflies, email katelyn.zhang@atriumhealth.org to receive an application. Once the application has been received, children are placed on a waiting list for the next available class session.
For more information about Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Care Pediatric Developmental and Behavioral Health, call 478-633-8100.