I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
The simplest thing that made my daughter laugh so hard 🥹
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First off, I think we can all agree there’s no better sound than a little kid belly laugh, right? Right. I sometimes forget just how easily and freely kids are ready to belly laugh, but the other day I got a reminder. I was sitting on the couch and my cranky 2-year-old (who’d skipped her nap) pushed against me. On a whim, I pretended she’d been strong enough to push me all the way off the couch and dramatically rolled onto the floor with a silly, “Whoaaaa!” She laughed SO hard. I climbed back onto the couch, she gave me another playful push, and over I went again. She cackled until she ran out of breath. After a few rounds, she came over and said, “I’ll help you up,” pulling my arm to help me sit up. Then… a great big tight toddler hug. 😭😭😭 I get asked a lot if this kind of thing teaches kids it’s funny to hurt others. The answer is no. Kids know the difference between silly and serious. In fact, this has been studied. It’s called power reversal play. When we play the silly, weak, confused, or frightened one and let them be the strong, clever, powerful one, it gives kids a healthy release from the powerlessness that naturally comes with being a child. btw... I first learned about this concept from Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting, and Aletha Solter, Ph.D., author of Attachment Play. Both books were huge lightbulb moments for me and I highly recommend them! Many of us already do this naturally with our kids without even realizing how beneficial it is for our kids and our bond with them. Once you understand why kids love this kind of play so much, it becomes much easier to prioritize. 💞 My invitation for you this week: Find one little power reversal moment to share with your kids. Ideas:
Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 P.S. Reminder - 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: Never wonder how to turn the moment around again. Instant games, hilarious ideas, and printable activities that make connection easy. Apps for any device + printable cards. Learn 70+ ridiculously fun improv games that naturally create laughter, connection, eye contact, listening, and imagination. Video demonstrations + printable guidebook. Turn everyday parenting challenges into moments of laughter, connection, and cooperation. Private podcast course + community. |
Playful Heart Parenting
I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
My nervous system was shot the other day and I was really on edge and agitated. I felt stuck in “serious mode.” Part of me knew that if I could “activate play mode” even just a little bit, we could all feel a little better. But another part of me was like: “NO. I don’t WANT to lighten up right now. I deserve to feel this way!” It’s true, I did deserve to feel that way. AND yet there was also this tiny voice asking: What if you let go of clinging to serious mode… just for a minute? That...
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: Yep. That's my husband who was laughing so...
Yesterday our dear friends were over and just before it was time for them to go home, the witching hour had started. My son’s best friend was running around, sticking out his tongue and blowing wet raspberries at everyone, spit included. actual footage We told him to stop. We told him “spit stays in your mouth.” But it was the end of a long day, and he literally was not hearing us… you know when kids are dysregulated and just on another level? It was that. To make matters worse, my son picked...