a playful home is a peaceful home
how play can promote moments of calm in your child’s day.
Happy New Year Amigos!
I hope you are having a peaceful January so far. I am looking forward to keep growing and connecting with you all in 2023. There are lots of surprises, collaborations, products and good times ahead if you stick around for our monthly Cosmic Playdates!
The following is a guest post by the wonderful Siân. Mom, educator and writer behind A Playful Year, an inspiring newsletter that has served me immensely. In her words: “A no fluff, no hacks – just the genuine help you need to make life at home more joyful and less overwhelming.”
Keep reading to learn more about Siân’s thoughtful approach to play!
We rarely think of ‘play’ and ‘calm’ in the same sentence. Play is rambunctious, frenetic, noisy - where children run, jump and screech like wild things. In comparison, calm gives off connotations of meditation, peace, quiet - a moment of contemplation in the forest or curling up in a soft chair with your favourite hot drink whilst you read a chapter of a book.
But what if I told you that play can also restore calm to your child’s day
Finding Rhythm
The rhythm of family life is a delicate dance of coming together, then moving apart again. Whether or not you have an established, tangible rhythm, the truth is a family rhythm can either help promote calm, independent play or hinder it.
To help promote calming, independent play, check that you are making space for it in your daily rhythm. Children need lots of opportunities to play in the early years.
Questions to ask yourself:
Does my child know when they can play in an uninterrupted manner?
Do I view play as important or is it a time filler?
Home Environment
Next, assess your home environment. Calm, independent play is tricky if your child doesn’t have a dedicated space in which to play. This doesn’t have to be a fancy, ‘Instagram worthy’ place, but somewhere your child knows they can play without being nagged to ‘clean up this mess!’ or ‘go play somewhere else!’
Questions to ask yourself:
Does my child understand where they can play?
Does the space in which they play promote calmness?
Is TV a constant background noise when my children play?
Outdoor Play
One of the best ways to promote calmness is to get outside for play. Outdoor play recharges the batteries - it’s a good option for when things get too chaotic indoors or if you’ve reached an afternoon slump. Experts recommend children spend at least 2 hours outside every single day, but this might be something that you need to build up to.
Questions to ask yourself:
How long do we spend outside?
Is it possible to increase the time spent outside? - How could we build that into our rhythm?
What is noticeable about my child’s behaviour before and after outdoor play?
Loose Parts Play
The toys your child plays with can affect how they play. Open-ended materials such as wooden blocks, peg dolls and loose parts provide endless ways to play.
The good news? This doesn’t have to mean an expensive trip to the local toy store. Loose parts such as nature treasures, recycling and everyday items can help children to play in a calm, thoughtful way.
Questions to ask yourself:
What toys do we have in the play space? Are they noisy (active) toys? or quiet (passive) toys?
Do I have enough open-ended toys that promote independent play? - remember, these don’t have to be toys from the store.
And finally, shift your expectations of what play ‘should’ look like.
As mentioned in the introduction, it’s easy to have pre-determined expectations when it comes to play, but play can come in many forms. Some children love to play very actively, whereas others are quiet observers. Some children enjoy inventing whole worlds using their imaginations. Others enjoy following a more structured activity - art or yoga, for example.
This doesn’t have to be set in stone, and it’s likely your child seeks more than one way to play. As your child grows, they will also play in different ways.
Questions to ask yourself:
What is the primary way my child plays? Can we include more of this in our rhythm?
What toys or items do they gravitate towards?
About the Author
Siân Thomas is a British primary school teacher, parent educator and founder of This Playful Home and the Substack page ‘A Playful Year’. She works with parents from all over the world through online courses, workshops and coaching. Siân’s work focuses on evidence-based parenting methods to help those with young children to simplify their days at home. She shares the benefits of intentional rhythms, purposeful home environments and play-based pedagogy so that parents can raise their children with more joy and less overwhelm. Siân lives in Vienna, Austria with her husband and three children who are aged between 4 and 13 years old.
To keep up with Siân’s latest content you can follow her via Instagram and Pinterest.
I also wrote a guest post for This Playful Year that you can check out here! It’s all about introducing positive affirmations to your kids and how this practice has served me and my family!
And if you are in the hunt for open-ended toys to promote calmness and connection, check out my project Cosmic Emilia.
Thank you so much for reading. Here’s one last reminder…
