Joining a club with your family is an enriching experience you all can share. Some family groups are devoted to many diverse interests, or you can get involved with groups that include playdates, storytimes, outings, and events. There are also opportunities to give back by volunteering in charitable organizations. Our Crème de la Crème staff invites you to check out seven local clubs your family can join around Mesa.

Scottsdale Moms Club

Playdate by Ian Brown is licensed with CC BY 2.0

The Scottsdale Moms Club is a supportive community for mothers and children alike. They host playdates for moms and kids as well as whole family playdates, events, walks and talks, and moms’ nights out. They also host other fun activities, like Bagels & Babies. The Scottsdale Moms Club is an active group that helps you form connections with other moms and allows your kids the opportunity to meet new children and enjoy playtime and other outings together.

Green Moms of the East Valley

Green Moms of the East Valley is an active group of moms and children interested in the eco-friendly or green lifestyle. The group is about making connections and sharing ideas, focusing on learning ways to protect and nurture the environment. The group explores homeschooling, organic eating, alternative medicines, and how to be the best parents to further those goals. Green Moms of the East Valley is an excellent group if you want to lead an active, healthy life and focus on raising your kids to be conscious of the environment.

AZ Families with Pride

AZ Families with Pride is a group for LGBT individuals, couples, and families. All parenting is difficult at times, but LGBT families face additional challenges. This group provides support and helps LGBT parents navigate the journey of becoming parents and raising kids. Topics the group covers include beginning the process of having children, such as through fostering, adoption, donor searching, surrogates, or IVF/IUI, and raising your family once you have children.

SE Valley Filipino American Families and Friends

SE Valley Filipino American Families and Friends is a social group for Filipino-American families with Filipino or mixed heritage, including a Filipino background. They also welcome non-Filipinos who wish to learn about Filipino culture. They hold monthly fun activities designed to connect Filipino-American families and friends. Some of their events include kickball, potluck lunches, bowling outings, holiday parties, karaoke, pool parties, and stickfeast bonanza, a time for enjoying delicious Filipino barbecue foods on skewers.

Phoenix Dads Group

Phoenix Dads Group is a diverse group of fathers committed to taking an active role in their children’s lives. This community of dads and kids meets several times monthly for various fun events. These include taking the kids to playgrounds, parks, parent-and-me classes, sporting events, museums, and other enjoyable outings as new opportunities arise.

This group caters to all kinds of fathers, such as married dads, stay-at-home dads, adoptive dads, work-from-home dads, single dads, stepdads, dads who share custody, and dads who work outside the home. The group schedules meetups on weekdays and weekends to ensure that both stay-at-home and on-site working dads can attend with their kids. The goal is to support dads who enjoy spending quality time with their kids and give them more outings to do so while also providing opportunities for dads to connect, socialize, learn, have fun, and find support while navigating fatherhood.

Child Crisis Arizona

Child Crisis Arizona offers twofold opportunities: first, as a nonprofit where you can volunteer with your kids to help other children, and second, as a place where you can participate in services they offer, such as their playgroups. The organization also provides family and parenting classes and workshops and family-friendly activities.

They’re one of the only area organizations to offer classes focused on fathers, grandparents, and other relatives involved in raising children. Many classes, workshops, and activities are also available through Zoom. Child Crisis Arizona is a great place to give back to the community, help children, and provide your kids with new opportunities to help them thrive.

Mesa Public Library Storytimes and Groups

The Mesa Public Library offers a wealth of programming for children and families, including storytimes, arts and crafts, STEM, and computer coding groups. Many of these groups include parents so that they can share fun and educational experiences with their children. Here are some groups you can join with your kids:

• Baby Lapsit: You can attend this storytime with your baby, from birth to 16 months old. During storytime, babies will be introduced to the beauty and rhythm of language. 
• Toddlertime: This special time includes stories, movement, and songs to introduce toddlers ages 16 to 36 months to the joy of language.
• Preschool Storytime: This storytime is designed for children ages 3 to 5, with stories, music, and fun.
• Literacy Through Drama: A drama-focused storytime that brings picture books to life by exploring magical worlds and problem-solving. This helps kids sharpen early literacy skills as they become characters in the story using their imagination.
• Designtime: This storytime invites families with children ages 3 to 6 to explore the creative process of art and design through interactive stories, games, and songs.
• First 5 Pages Book Club: This event for elementary-aged kids introduces a new book every month. Participants will read the first five pages of a book and then engage in a story-related activity.
• Preschool Lab: A STEM-based storytime for ages 3 to 5 that introduces hands-on computation skills to help prepare children for kindergarten.
• Around the World Storytime: This storytime helps children learn about different countries through stories, songs, and maps. Kids 3 to 7 years old will learn about international cultures while getting ready for school.

All programs meet at the main branch of the Mesa Public Library, located at 64 E. First St. in Mesa. You can learn more about these ongoing events by visiting the Mesa Public Library website.

Our Crème de la Crème of Mesa team hopes our list has given you some ideas about where to get involved in local family groups. Joining a group benefits your whole family, as you’ll make stronger connections within your community while helping your children grow, learn new things, and make new friends. There are family groups for almost every interest, so you’re sure to find one that’s right for you and your kids.