Hi! Instagram went down for a couple hours the other day, and it made me realize just how important it is to have other ways of connecting with this community — so thank you for being here! I missed sending out last month’s email because I was immersed in directing a big middle school musical — always the busiest week of my year. I’m coming up for air and excited about getting back into Playful Heart Parenting, and I've been dreaming up new fun resources to help bring more laughter, silliness, and connection to families. Let’s jump into it: EASTER EGG HUNT HELP I’ve always loved the magic of an Easter egg hunt, and it’s a whole new level of enjoyment as a parent! One thing I don’t love, though, is a ton of cheap, little plastic toys that either instantly get thrown away or just add to the never-ending clutter in our house. So, I made a list of creative, fun, and actually useful things to hide in Easter eggs in addition to (or instead of) candy! Here are links to those items: https://www.amazon.com/shop/playfulheartparenting/list/2137RD31TNT6U?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfplayfulheartparenting_QW37DCDZ8KB53JD2N0CJ And here is a PDF of 30 cute Easter jokes for kids that you can print, cut up, and hide in the eggs! 30 Easter Jokes for Kids.pdf SEVEN-DAY PLAY CHALLENGE WAS GREAT! Thank you to those who participated in the first ever seven-day play challenge! It was so fun to connect with you in a much more personal way through Marco Polo. If you missed out on this, stay tuned — we will have another one next month! RECENT GAMES WITH LOVE
FREE RESOURCES If you haven't already grabbed these previous free resources, I'm linking them below. I will continue to come out with more free resources and share them with you here, as a thank-you for continuing to subscribe to these emails and be part of this community! 25 Easy Silly Moments updated.pdf Using AI For Connection & Quality Time 15 Creative ChatGPT Prompts.pdf INSPIRATION FROM YOU: I always love hearing from you — especially when it comes to how playfulness is helping you and your family. Here is a recent message that touched me: "I have to thank you for your content. I started following you last fall, because I don’t feel naturally playful with my 4yo, and I can use inspiration. (I also haaaate playing with toys with him, like cars and trains, which is what he always wants). Your recent video about playfully telling them not to do something has unlocked so much for us. He asks me to play “Don’t you dare” now, and I’ve even extended it to power reversal—”Oh PLEASE don’t make me brush your teeth! Nooooo!” And we’re both having such a good time! He’s getting himself dressed for the first time, transitions are easier, but honestly, we just feel so much more connected. Everything is lighter. Thank you, thank you, thank you." That’s all for this month! See you in April! Love, Mia |
I'm a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator who helps parents connect with their children by accessing their silly side! No messy arts and crafts, complicated activities, or sensory bins here -- just easy, simple, silly moments to share as a family. Short weekly emails include free resources, exclusive discounts, inspiration, playful tips, and easy game ideas.
Have you heard of meta-emotions? It means the feeling you have about having a feeling. My daughter just turned one last week, and I found myself surprisingly heavy that morning. Not just sentimental, but genuinely low. SAD. And I’m so grateful my therapist had prepped me the day before: “Be gentle with yourself tomorrow — big feelings might come up.” She’s been with me for years, including through our NICU days last summer, and she knows I haven’t fully processed it all. One of the most...
Surely that’s the first time in the history of email that subject line has been used, right?? 😂 Anyway, my husband and I had just finished cleaning the house the other day (okay, mostly him — I was upstairs recording the first bonus episode of Activate Play Mode… APM fam, it’s live now if you missed it!). Anyway, not long after, the house was trashed again. Because… kids. Steve asked our son to pick up his dirty laundry, and he was just in his own 3.5-year-old world. We were trying to run...
I needed something EASY because I’ve been tiiiired Solo-parenting, working a bunch, getting out and enjoying the weather with the kids and walking a bunch because… My baby FINALLY doesn’t scream in the stroller!! 😭🙏🏽🙌 (I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been a life-changing update) Anyway, last week I was giving a makeover to my collection “Little Moments for Big Laughs” (now accessible as a private podcast and with a “generator” tool to give you random prompts like an app!) And I thought...