Steve and I were overdue for a date night, and luckily, the stars aligned for that to happen last Friday night.

When we finished dinner, we realized we had a whole hour before we needed to head home...

Steve said, "So, what do you wanna do now?"

"Honestly?" I said, "I want to find a bench to sit on with you and play games."

"Okay," he said. He knew it would make me so happy.

But little did he know HE was the one who was going to end up like THIS:

We found a bench and as the sun set, we played my favorite improv games, including:

• Alphabet Conversation (make up a fake convo and each person has to start their first sentence with the next letter of the alphabet)
• One-Word Story (make up a story trading off one word at a time)
• TV Talking (he pulled up a random Netflix sitcom we'd never seen and muted the sound, and we talked for the characters. HILARIOUS, and this is why he ended up diving off the bench on to the sidewalk and we were both laughing to the point of tears).

(By the way, I pulled up my own FAMPROV resource of improv games to choose from! Tap HERE to learn more)

See, the thing is... Steve and I used to play games with each other like this all the TIME when we first met.

One time we ended up accidentally talking for the characters for a WHOLE 2-hour movie because we were having so much fun.

But in this season of life, most of the games we play are as a family with our kids.

It was really nice and fun to reconnect with each other this way (and get to do some R-rated themes in the games which were beyond hilarious but obviously not quite appropriate for kiddos).

As we were laughing and snuggling on that bench I couldn't help but think...

Laughing with someone really is the shortest path back to connection, hands down.

My invitation for you this week:

Whether it be your partner, a friend, or your child... see if you can carve out even just a few minutes for a quick, silly game this week.

It's always worth it.

Cheering you on always,

Mia 💞

P.S. If you are an Activate Play Mode member, we just moved our community onto the Circle app and it's AWESOME! So easy to chat with each other, and yes I am active in the group! This is included with your APM purchase, no matter when you grabbed it, so if you haven't seen an invite from me, reply here and I'll make sure to get you in there. 🥰

MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING:

​FAMPROV:

Turn ordinary moments into unforgettable family memories with my favorite improv-inspired games for laughter, connection, and all-ages fun.

​PHP APPS BUNDLE​

Skip the brainpower and jump straight into fun with with 1,500+ prompts, games, conversation starters, and silly moment ideas right in your pocket! Includes 400 print-your-own cards for screen-free play.

​ACTIVATE PLAY MODE:​

A practical framework to help you enjoy parenting again with more laughter, cooperation, and connection. Includes lifetime access to the private podcast course, the private Play Mode Activators app and community, plus ongoing encouragement from Mia.