“Play to Bond” is our motto as we emphasise the significance of play for both babies and parents alike on our journey. In this blog, we’ll discuss the importance of play for parents, its benefits, and the joy of being playful parents.
Being a playful parent entails incorporating intentional and connected playtime between children and parents into the parenting style. Playing together not only fosters a fun atmosphere at home but also cultivates a strong and deep bond among family members. Playing as a parent offers endless fun and bonding opportunities for both you and your babies alike.
The Benefits of Play
Play can be described as a combination of both enjoyable and learning experiences, regardless of age. Individual differences come to the forefront during play, resulting in experiences that vary from person to person. Regardless of whether it’s a child or an adult, participation in play offers benefits to the participant:
- Encourages connection and secure attachment.
- Makes children feel wanted and accepted.
- Helps develop cognitive skills.
- Boosts a child’s self-esteem and self-respect.
- Supports communication skills and language development.
The Benefits of Play for Parents
While the benefits of play for parents may vary due to individual differences, its importance and contributions are significant for every adult. Some of these contributions include:
- Increases parents’ happiness levels and reduces stress levels through the release of oxytocin hormone during play.
- Playful parents experience positive emotions such as laughter, enjoyment, and happiness more frequently.
- Playful parents establish a secure attachment with their babies and get to know their babies more closely.
- Just like in children, playing also enhances parents’ problem-solving skills and mechanisms.
- Strengthening of relationships and bonds in the family and social context is also one of the significant contributions of playing for parents.
- Fosters success in interpersonal relationships.
- Lastly, one of the most significant effects of playing on parents is its association with high life satisfaction.
How to Become a Playful Parent
The only thing required to become a playful parent is willingness. Every individual aware of the importance of play and wanting to include it in their life knows the contribution of play to the relationship they establish. However, there are also some prerequisites to becoming a playful parent, such as:
- Not caring about what people think
- Having sense of humour
- Seizing opportunities for play
- Being creative
- Being spontaneous
- Being curious
- Being able to laugh
However, being a playful parent doesn’t mean playing with toys all the time. Being a playful parent is a parenting style that affects daily life and behaviours in the long term. If you wonder “How can I be playful?” you can benefit from our suggestions:
- Jump to the bathroom while brushing teeth.
- Speak rhythmically and sing while talking.
- Use gestures and mimics while reading books.
- When changing nappies, put a clean nappy on your head and be funny.
- Play a guessing game about what’s for dinner.
- Race to see who will go to the door first.
- Guess how many people are in the restaurant.
- Determine a unique way to greet each other.
- Give each other fun nicknames.
- Draw something on your child’s back with your fingers while bathing and ask them to guess what it is.
- Use the shopping cart at the supermarket.
- Use the sock as a puppet and create a story.
- Act like you’re wearing shoes upside down and smile.
- Have a pillow fight and throw yourself to the ground.
- When you go to the park, play with toys with your child.
To be a playful parent, the above suggestions can be diversified. It’s quite easy to include play in daily activities. By smiling and having a bit of fun, developing the skill of being a playful parent filled with laughter and a bit of unusual behavior is possible.
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However, understanding that being a playful parent doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, being permissive, not setting boundaries, or being weak is essential. Being a playful parent means being able to establish a strong bond through play and enjoy life to the fullest.
We wish you to increase your enjoyment of life through play! 😊
