Quick, honest reflections on parenting, playfulness, and finding more joy in everyday family life, each with one simple idea to try. Browse the latest reads below, and subscribe to never miss one in your inbox each Tuesday.
Playful Heart Monthly Check-In & Easter Egg Ideas!
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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 |
The Playful Heart Journal
Quick, honest reflections on parenting, playfulness, and finding more joy in everyday family life, each with one simple idea to try. Browse the latest reads below, and subscribe to never miss one in your inbox each Tuesday.
A little full-circle moment. 🥹 I've always been a playful person who thrives on silliness, but when I first became a parent (as a stepmom), playfulness did NOT come naturally to me. I was so caught up in all the "shoulds" of parenting, putting extreme pressure on myself to do everything "right." In hindsight, I can see I was taking myself a little too seriously, which left little room for silliness and play. Sure, I was still fun and playful when the mood was good and things felt calm. But I...
Everyone was still asleep while I was sipping my coffee on the couch this past Saturday morning. My 10yo stepdaughter was the first to come out and as she came towards me, I almost held out my arm as an invitation to snuggle... but before I could process the thought, she'd already plopped down on the other end of the couch. My stepdaughter and I have never really had a "snuggly" relationship, and it's something I used to crave... there is still part of me that longs for that, but I definitely...
My parents and sister were visiting the other day for my son's birthday (he's 5 now!!! 😭), and I asked my 78-year-old dad if he wanted to try my silly drawing prompt app, "What Should We Doodle"... Let's just say he understood the assignment. 😂 My sister pulled up the app and tapped the "gross stuff" category to give him a doodle challenge. His first mission was to draw a "sticky clump of earwax riding a skateboard." He spent so long on it and was cracking himself up in the process. so much...