A circle of preschool-age children who are gathered together (by their parents or caregivers) on a fairly regular basis at the home of one child or another, often in rotation, the idea being to help children learn to develop social skills by playing with others and to give them the stimulation of new people and activities. Such experience is especially important for children who are otherwise relatively isolated from other children of their age, whether far out in the country, in a sub¬ urban home, or in a high-rise apartment, including an only child or one with much older brothers and sisters. Children who have no experience of either play group or preschool programs (or the rough-and-tumble of brothers and sisters) before they enter kindergarten may be at a distinct disadvantage in learning how to be with others and to cooperate in activities. Such children have to deal with normal separation anxiety on entering school, where the shocking transition may interfere with learning, rather than at a play group or preschool. But children who have siblings at home and others their age nearby may not need any regularly established play group. Parents are well advised not to push their children into a group if they are made unhappy by it but to wait for some time to pass and more development to occur; what is “too much too soon” for a child of two might be just right for a three-year-old.