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How to involve the nostalgic parent

We all know the stereotypes. Pushy Parent views life as a competitive sport, with childhood as the preparatory training programme. For Anxious Parent, the world is a threatening, unpredictable place, so the guiding principles are 'safety first' and follow the rules. Liberal Parent believes in dialogue, democracy and 'playing nicely'. Meanwhile Lax Parent isn't that fussed one way or the other, and tends to just muddle through. How can out-of-school childcare meet the expectations of such a diverse 'customer base'? Part of the problem is the language we use. That label 'out-of-school' is pretty unhelpful. It defines a service solely in terms of what it is not, with no hint as to what it actually is.
We all know the stereotypes. Pushy Parent views life as a competitive sport, with childhood as the preparatory training programme. For Anxious Parent, the world is a threatening, unpredictable place, so the guiding principles are 'safety first' and follow the rules. Liberal Parent believes in dialogue, democracy and 'playing nicely'. Meanwhile Lax Parent isn't that fussed one way or the other, and tends to just muddle through.

How can out-of-school childcare meet the expectations of such a diverse 'customer base'? Part of the problem is the language we use. That label 'out-of-school' is pretty unhelpful. It defines a service solely in terms of what it is not, with no hint as to what it actually is.

The Scandinavian term 'free time club,' is much more positive. It stakes a claim on behalf of children. It says that this time, in this place, is theirs.

Here's one thing parents of every stripe will agree on: for all their streetwise attitudes, the horizons of kids today are much more limited than in previous generations. This can only be a source of regret for any parent who enjoyed a 'free-range' childhood.

Now there's no way that an out-of-school club could replicate that kind of freedom. But it can take inspiration from those shared experiences.

So to give parents the message that, for children, club time should be their time to do with as they please, why not try making a direct appeal to parents' own childhood play experiences?

It could be a discussion at a committee meeting, a display of old family photos, or an open invitation to parents to write down their favourite places to play as a child. However you do it, tapping into their childhood memories is a powerful way to remind parents of the value of giving today's children a little more freedom and space.