Katrina McCarter, founder of Marketing to Mums, shares her views on the opportunity for children’s activity providers to address mums’ increasing loneliness.
There’s a fascinating paradox happening in family life right now. And if you’re running a dance school, swim program, gymnastics club or any children’s activity, you’re sitting right at the heart of the solution.
On one hand, we have mums experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness. According to the 2025 State of Motherhood report from Motherly, 70% say motherhood is lonelier than they ever imagined. That’s the highest figure on record, and it’s not just a fleeting feeling. One in five mothers feel this isolation every day.
On the other hand, their children are more digitally connected yet physically isolated than any generation before them. A new Harris Poll conducted in March 2025 reveals that 69% of kids aged 8-12 stay up past bedtime scrolling screens, while 62% have never walked or biked somewhere alone.
These kids are craving real-world freedom and face-to-face friendships, but they’re getting screen time and structured schedules instead.
Here’s where it gets really interesting for those of us in the children’s activity space: both problems have the same solution.
The trust crisis in traditional systems
Before we dive into solutions, let’s acknowledge what’s really happening here. Parents are losing faith in traditional support systems. The Motherly data shows that only 9% of mothers believe schools are preparing kids for the real world.
Nine percent! That means 91% of parents think the education system is failing their children.
This isn’t just about academic performance—it’s about life skills, social development and emotional resilience. When the Harris Poll asked kids how they wanted to spend their time, 72% said they’d rather be with friends in person without screens. 61% wanted to play without adults hovering over them.
The message is crystal clear: parents know something’s missing, kids know something’s missing and traditional institutions aren’t filling the gap.
The micro-community solution
Here’s where your dance studio, swimming school or gymnastics club becomes so much more than just an activity provider. You’re creating what researchers are calling “micro-communities”—small, consistent social networks where both parents and children can form meaningful connections.
The Motherly report found when mothers manage to stitch together these micro-communities, their loneliness decreases and their confidence increases. In other words, policy might be lagging behind but parents are already prototyping their own social infrastructure.
Think about what happens at your club or school. Mums drop off their kids and suddenly find themselves chatting with other parents going through similar experiences. Kids work together, support each other and build friendships that extend beyond your walls.
You’re facilitating both parent and child connections simultaneously.
The younger parent factor
This connection crisis hits hardest where your business likely sees the most growth: younger parents.
The loneliness intensifies the younger the parent is, according to the research. These Millennial and Gen Z mums are often navigating parenthood far from extended family, in neighbourhoods where they barely know their neighbours.
The isolation runs deep: 61% of suburban kids haven’t even talked to a neighbour without an adult present.
For these younger parents, your activity space isn’t just where their child learns to swim or tumble—it’s potentially their primary source of adult social interaction and parenting community.
What this means for your business
This data represents a massive opportunity for activity providers who understand they’re not just teaching skills. They’re building community infrastructure. Here’s how to think about it:
You’re filling the independence gap. While 62% of kids have never walked somewhere alone, they can experience age-appropriate independence in a safe, supervised environment such as a children’s activity provider. They can make decisions, take small risks and build confidence.
You’re creating social scaffolding for parents. Those sideline conversations are lifelines for isolated parents, not just small talk. The Motherly research shows that micro-communities reduce loneliness and increase confidence.
You’re providing what schools can’t. With 91% of parents sceptical about traditional education preparing kids for real life, an activity provider’s focus on physical skills, social interaction and character development fills a crucial gap.
You’re supporting family decision-making. With childcare costs driving major family decisions, activity providers who understand their role in the broader family ecosystem can position themselves as essential rather than optional.
Perhaps most importantly, you’re giving kids what they’re desperately asking for: real-world experiences with peers. The Harris Poll found that 45% of kids prefer unstructured, adult-free activities like pickup games and exploring, compared to just 25% who prefer online activities.
Activity provider’s programs provide structured learning within unstructured social environments. Kids can be kids. They can take small risks, make friends, experience minor failures and successes, all while developing physical skills and confidence.
Building your community strategy
Understanding this data means shifting how you think about parent engagement. Rather than just communicating about a child’s progress, flip it to see that you’re nurturing a community. Here’s four easy strategies to do that:
—Create informal spaces for parent connection during wait times
—Facilitate parent social events that extend beyond the activity itself
—Recognise that the parent experience is as important as the child experience
—Position your programs as addressing both the independence kids crave and the community parents need
The bottom line
This latest research is telling us something profound: families are hungry for authentic connection and real-world experiences. Traditional institutions aren’t meeting these needs but children’s activity providers are uniquely positioned to fill this gap.
For mums reading this, know that your feelings of isolation are valid and shared by seven out of ten other mums. The loneliness you might be experiencing—especially if you’re a younger parent—isn’t a personal failing. It’s a symptom of how our communities have changed.
When you walk into that dance studio, swimming pool or gymnastics centre you’re joining a micro-community where sideline conversations can blossom into friendships, where your child learns independence, and where you can build your parenting tribe.
These spaces provide what screens and structured schedules can’t: real-world connections for the whole family.
For parents: seek out these opportunities not just for your child’s sake, but for your own.
For activity providers: recognise that you’re creating communities that can help heal the isolation epidemic affecting families everywhere. Good job.
You can connect with Katrina McCarter and Marketing to Mums at katrina@marketingtomums.com.au
