The Power of Play

Playing comes naturally for children.  It’s how they learn about themselves, about those around them, and about their world. Yet have you ever considered that play is also a doorway into your child’s world?  It’s an excellent way to enter their space, on their terms – which magically allows them to show you who they really are.  When you play with your child, on equal terms (or even better with them taking the lead), it’s a fabulous way to reconnect, building confidence and bringing you both closer.  Think about it, the more you’re able to join your children in play, fully entering their world, the closer they’ll feel to you, and the more natural it becomes for them to respond well in your world.

The better your relationship, the easier it is for you to get their co-operation!

Benefits of playing with your children:

• builds self-esteem – your undivided attention is priceless and allows them to “test” their world and show you what delights them
• lets you into their world – which allows you to discover out what’s going on in their lives (they often use action figures or dolls to replay scenes from their lives)
• helps them develop social skills – through interactive play with you, through positive role modeling, they learn how to get along with others
• gives them a chance to feel equal – in real life, you may be in charge, yet in their play-world, with your guidance, they’re in control
• helps develop patience – playing naturally involves problem-solving and creativity
• strengthens your connection – they thrive on you having fun with them, which is excellent for building your relationship

It’s amazing that even half an hour of weekly, uninterrupted play with your child can achieve so much. It really works wonders – especially if you’re struggling to deal with children who’ve developed some nasty behavioural issues.  Children simply savour the opportunity for undivided connecting time with you.  What happens over a short space of time is fascinating.  Because this kind of quality play and connection time make kids feel empowered and important, their “bad” behaviour begins to disappear.

Remember:

• let your child lead
• let go of your ‘adult parent’ self (just for the play time)
• make sure to give plenty of warning about how much play time is left
• avoid all distractions (switch off your devices)

Having fun playing together is really powerful.

InnerMagic self esteem game is a great way to play with your kids.