Developing Parent-Child Play for Deeper and Meaningful Connections
Finding time to play with our children just might be easier than you think! At Badger’s Place we understand the importance of play for strengthening parent-child relationships. This means working with parents and children alike to support developmental skill acquisition via interest-based connections whilst also nurturing differences, supporting autonomy, and responding playfully.
Playing with our children does not have to be structured or planned out. It can occur in micro-moments as we go about our everyday family life. It can give us a bridge to tackle challenging tricky transitions with them, and sometimes it can just be the antidote we all need to get through unavoidable daily demands.
Have you ever just watched your child in play? Observing children in play provides more information about a child’s development than any test or assessment. When we know what skills our children are still developing we are more able to support them by providing experiences or adaptations that are developmentally relevant. For example, simply adding a ramp or step for easier access to play equipment may better connect them physically and socially to their environment that otherwise they may have avoided.
In our ever-increasing digital world where children have access to online gaming and virtual connection with their peers, parents may be feeling a sense of loss related to building and sustaining (non-virtual) social and communicative connections with their children.
It is worth remembering that each generation of children will have differences in play preferences to the generation before them. So, the first step in increasing connections with our children in play is to be curious and inquisitive about their interests. This may also provide them an opportunity to teach you something new which is a great way for them to develop higher order thinking and communication skills.
Listening to our children’s ideas communicates that you are interested in their thoughts. Children are using their prefrontal cortex when considering ideas from thoughts and this brain area is responsible for executive functions such as organising, sequencing, and problem solving. Listening to and delighting in our children’s ideas is likely to strengthen this neuro-developmental pathway.
Extending children’s play by offering additional, related resources and materials may open up further learning opportunities, such as taking them to visit a bee farm after they show an interest in honeybees in the garden. Likewise, meeting our children in their world of play to help them make daily tasks more enjoyable is a win-win situation, such as playing hopscotch to get to the bathroom to take a shower or listening to a specific playlist of music on the way to school.
My top tips for increasing Parent-Child play for deeper and meaningful connections daily:
Be curious and inquisitive about children’s interests
Observe children in play and respond to their needs
Listen with interest to children’s ideas
Extend on children’s play by providing materials, resources, or spaces
Provide playful interactions to reduce stress and improve transitions
If you are interested in exploring this further and how you could better understand your child and to support their emotional, social, and relational development within the home environment, we warmly welcome you to book some parenting support sessions at Badger’s Place.
Further reading: The State of Play-Based Learning in Queensland Schools
At Badger’s Place we look forward to supporting you on your parenting journey soon!
