The masses of parenting advice out there leave modern parents slugging along under the weight of a million “shoulds” — and their close companion, guilt.
But let go of that for a minute.
You love your child(ren) desperately. Now take that minute of letting go and spend it just enjoying your child(ren).
We advocate playful learning here at Pariva — it’s the best way to learn. As a refresher, 5 key characteristics of playful learning are: it’s joyful, meaningful, iterative, socially interactive, and actively engaging.
But don’t start feeling guilty again. Playing with your kids actually is really good for you.
Our partners over at The LEGO Foundation produced a report finding that 9 of 10 parents reported play with their children as fundamental to their own happiness, making them more relaxed, energized, and creative. The parents also said it strengthened family bonds and trust, helping them know their children better.
On top of that, depressed parents of young children who were given play activity programs showed marked improvements in symptoms.
And while parents are having fun with their kids, they’re checking 3 of the 5 components of the early learning framework, the LEGO Foundation report says: responsive caregiving, security and safety, and opportunities for early learning (the other two are good health and adequate nutrition).
So when you’re tired or overwhelmed, let go and play. Just for a minute. It doesn’t have to be complicated, brilliant, or lengthy. Even sit down with your kids and watch an episode of Bluey — and steal some playful strategies from Bandit and Chilli.
Pariva is all about helping whole families thrive. Want to learn more about our philosophy? Our family support program helps families address behavioral or developmental concerns about a child (including autism, ADHD and other conditions), as well as mental health for the whole family. We also offer virtual diagnostic evaluations. We don’t do wait lists, and we don’t require referrals.