A Place for Busy Parents and Active Kids
Get ready to experience an indoor play concept that you’ve never encountered before!
Play and Stay, which opened in January, offers café-style seating and comfortable lounge conversation areas for parents that encircle a large fenced in play area for kids six and under.
The cheery space invites parents, grandparents and caregivers to recharge, socialize, catch up on work, or just take a much-needed breather while their children are having fun, learning and experiencing activities they may not have at home.
The best part? Play and Stay has trained and caring Play Leader Staff Members who are inside the play area and help monitor safety, assist in climbing and building, and are there to engage with children as an extra set of eyes and hands so you can relax.
Real-time cameras and monitors are also placed throughout so children are always in view.
I had a chance to check out the space with my son, and my husband and I were in awe. Not only did the staff members learn my son’s name, play with him, and get him interacting and socializing with the other kids—but my husband and I literally just got to sit there and do nothing. As two exhausted parents, this was a dream.
Now that we know how the place operates, we agreed that next time we’d bring our laptops and work, take a book along to catch up on some reading, or would plan a playdate with a few of our friends and actually get to talk while our kids played.
Play and Stay came about after owner and mom of three, Danielle Huppler, said she been waiting 15 years for someone else to build the concept, and finally just decided to do it herself.
“My oldest daughter, Ava, was truly my inspiration for creating this play space,” said Danielle. “She was very active and was so hard to keep up with when I would take her to the park or other playgrounds. I felt as if I was always chasing her, and it could be stressful and definitely not relaxing!”
After searching for playgrounds that were indoors during the Arizona summer heat, and contained by a parameter or fence to keep her daughter safe, Danielle said she just couldn’t find what she was hoping for.
“I also noticed that spaces were primarily designed for children, and I felt very little thought was given to what parents needed,” she said. “I knew there had to be a better way that would provide both parents and children a space that is welcoming, safe, functional, and could provide that home away from home experience, especially during those early years when it can be a struggle to keep them busy and find new things to do.”
Now, her daughter Ava, who’s a young adult, works alongside Danielle at Play and Stay.
With two additional daughters under seven years old, Danielle remains in tune to creating a space that fosters curiosity, creativity, and independence for younger children. In addition to the main play area, there are also two designated areas for infants and toddlers.
Snacks are available for purchase and caregivers can also bring home-prepared snacks for themselves and their children.
Most unique to Play and Stay is that they also have an Activity Director who is a certified pre-school teacher. The Activity Director leads children in fun, structured daily activities as part of the admission. Activities include music and movement, crafts, sensory activities (such as playdough) and story time. Classes are held Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with breaks in between.
And don’t worry, if your child is like mine and prefers free play, the activities are totally optional and kids can choose to stay in the main play area instead of participating in the class.
If you are tired, need to get some work done, are burnt out from being your child’s playmate, or simply just need a break—you will love Play and Stay—and your kids will too!
Admission is $25 per child with membership options and sibling discounts available.
Play and Stay is located at 9159 East Talking Stick Way in Scottsdale. For more information on hours, membership pricing, activities, and birthday parties, visit playandstayaz.com. You can also follow them on Instagram @play_and_stayaz.
