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.
Playing silly games over text with my friend gave me LIFE
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I sent my friend Jen my new free Play Break Bingo sheet (25 squares of silly play ideas) as soon as I'd finished it... and she sent me back a video of her acting out one of the "Make This Face" prompts which said "You just tooted and it sounded exactly like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'" Her interpretation was so hilarious and delightful I laughed out loud and immediately felt some of my stress from the day melt away. She challenged me to another bingo square that says "Make This Face: You just sat on a sharp rock but you're trying to be quiet because there's a sleeping baby nearby," so of course I dropped everything and sent one back.  Jen and I both turn 40 next month and we were giggling like little kids. The next day, she suggested we do another square, which was to make up a story based on the title, "Dave the Dragon Who Wanted To Be a Chef," taking turns every few sentences. As I cleaned up from breakfast and immediately fetched more snacks for the kids (iykyk) I went back and forth with Jen, texting videos of us adding on a few sentences at a time to the story. My 2yo and 4yo were zooming around playing, wrestling, drawing on the chalkboard wall, and turning the house upside down... but every time Jen and I were telling part of the story their ears would perk up. They were enjoying it just as much as Jen and I were, just from observing!  The next day, we played ANOTHER game together over text. This time we just made up our own silly acting prompts for each other. Even though I was running late to meet friends at the zoo, I stopped to play for a second because I had been reminded the previous couple days how much these silly interactions had given me LIFE and put me in such a good mood. My friend Bryana Kappadakunnel aka @consciousmommy once said that we adults are "dehydrated" when it comes to playfulness. We don't even realize how thirsty we are for it until we start playing a bit and remembering how good it feels. Ain't it the truth!? My invitation for you this week: Step One: Download my new FREE Play Break Bingo if you haven't yet! Step Two: Challenge a friend to try one of the prompts over text. Try a mini-game with your partner and let the kids observe you being silly and laughing together freely. And of course, invite your kids to point to a square and try one. Cheering you on always, Mia More from Playful Heart Parenting:Want a little help putting playfulness into practice? The Playful Heart Collection brings all of my favorite tools together in one place — including Activate Play Mode, FAMPROV family improv games, and the Silly Moments Bundle — with thousands of simple ideas to help you laugh more, connect more, and enjoy everyday life with your kids. P.S. In case you missed my email about this the other day, I just added A Year of Silly Moments to the Silly Moments Bundle — 12 MORE printable Bingo sheets, one for every month of the year! Already have the bundle? You should have an email from me with the new PDF, and they're also waiting for you at the bottom of the app... just refresh if you don't see it! 💞 |
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.
I'm not going to lie to you. Things were pretty tense in my household over the weekend. Mostly due to me having some pent-up frustrations and stress and just unleashing it on everyone all at once. When those kind of moments/days/weekends happen in my home there's a weird thing that happens in my brain which sounds something like: "Wow, Mia. Who's playful now? If only your community could see the real you being an absolute tornado of grumpiness and seriousness right now! You're such a fraud!!"...
You'll never catch me running... unless a bee is chasing me. But the other night, as I was finishing up a sweaty walk, pushing my 4yo and 2yo in the double stroller... UPHILL... ...in 90 degree Tennessee humidity that felt like 200 degrees... My husband Steve pulled up next to us as he was getting home from work. "Run, Mommy, run!" my son squealed. "Let's race Daddy home!!!!" (we were at the bottom of the hill still and our house is at the top). I tossed my head back and laughed, thinking:...
My creative brain has been pretty ZAPPED.For the past couple weeks, I’ve been doing a LOT of solo parenting while my husband’s work schedule has been demanding — and I’ve been cramming my own work into all the nooks and crannies. Waking up at 5am. Working after bedtime. Answering messages between wiping butts and fetching snacks. 😂 Me and my giant mug of coffee, LOCKING IN So I’ve actually been relying on my own Silly Moments apps more than usual — because I want to be present and have fun...