Set a timer for ten minutes (you can do anything for ten minutes), get on the floor, and play enthusiastically. The reason I call my approach “Playful Parenting” is not because play is the only way to connect with our children, but because play usually goes out the window when we are stressed, tired, or aggravated. But who has the time for this? Well, it’s a bit like chopping down a mighty tree with a dull axe-it’s worth the time it takes to pause and sharpen the blade.

Written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, Playful Parenting will make you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being a happy, effective, enthusiastic parent.Reflecting on parenthood – stepping back to think, write or talk about what life is really like for us –helps us become better parents. Playful Parenting also includes illuminating chapters on how to use play to build a child's confidence and self-esteem, how to play through sibling rivalry, and how play can become a part of loving discipline. He covers games, activities, and playful interactions that parents can enjoy with children of all ages, whether it's gazing deep into a baby's eyes, playing chase with a toddler, fantasy play with a grade schooler, or reducing a totally cool teenager to helpless laughter. Cohen discusses how to get down on the floor and join children on their own terms.

After identifying why it can be hard for adults to play, Dr. We help them express and understand deep emotions, foster connection, aid the process of emotional healing-and have a great time ourselves while we're at it.Īnyone can be a playful parent-all it takes is a sense of adventure and a willingness to let down your guard and try something new. Through play we join our kids in their world. That's why 'playful parenting' is so important and so successful in building strong, close bonds between parents and children. Cohen points out, play is children's complex and fluid way of exploring the world, communicating hard-to-express feelings, getting close to those they care about, working through stressful situations, and simply blowing off steam. Have you ever stepped back to watch what really goes on when your children play? As Dr.

From eliciting a giggle during baby's first game of peek-a-boo to cracking jokes with a teenager while hanging out at the mall, Playful Parenting is a complete guide to using play to raise strong, confident children. Cohen, Ph.D., demonstrates in this delightful new book, play can be the basis for an innovative and rewarding approach to parenting. Parents have heard that play is a child's work-but play is not for kids only.

Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen