During this time of increased stress, it can be hard to relax and have fun. Don’t forget about connecting with your kids! Connection is the best thing you can give your children and provides them with a buffer against stress and anxiety. A great way to focus on connection with children is through play. Giving our children our presence and just being there with them can help to calm their stress reactions. Playing with your kids can even give them a way to work out some of their anxiety. Below are some ideas for games to get you started. Use your imagination and change these or come up with your own. Don’t forget to also play with your kids without directing their play at all. Give them a chance to pick what they want to do and just follow along.
Watch out for tickling games! Most people laugh automatically when being tickled, especially if they are ticklish. Even if kids are laughing, tickling can become too overwhelming quickly and kids may not be having fun. Asking before tickling and stopping when they say stop sets up good physical contact habits for the future. Before playing roughhousing games set up some ground rules such as: no hurting each other, everyone must want to play before starting, stop if anyone says stop. Lawrence Cohen says, “follow the giggles”. If your child is having fun and laughing, keep playing. If the laughter stops, change the game or do something else to connect with each other. With an older child consider playing sports or games like freeze tag.
The Lava Game - from Playful Parenting*
Pretend your bed or couch is the only safe spot and the floor is covered with lava! The goal is to stay safely on the bed/couch and try not to fall off. Roughhousing with a game like this lets you save your children from the lava over and over, or gently push them in and then save them!
Don’t Touch the Floor
Remember Pippi Longstocking? Set up an obstacle course inside or outside using whatever you can find to stand on. Try to move around without touching the floor. This can be competitive or cooperative. Helping each other reinforces to your child that you (the parent) will always be there to help them, while letting them do it themselves helps them to gain self-confidence.
Telling Stories Together from Playful Parenting*
Joint story telling can be used with all ages. Have kids start the story and set up an adventure or problem. Let parents solve the issue and save the main characters. You can put superheroes, princesses, or other characters into peril and find ways for characters to save them or for them to save themselves. If kids are able to, kids and parents can take turns by setting up the stories or finishing them.
Sock Game from Playful Parenting*
Compete or set up cooperative teams to try to take everyone’s socks off! The object is to keep your socks on.
Resources
PBS Article - Parenting During Coronavirus
Roughhousing Article from Aha! Parenting
*Lawrence J. Cohen’s book, Playful Parenting, has many tips about ways to connect with your child through play. His book, The Art of Roughhousing, explains the benefits of roughhousing and has examples of games to play. Both are aimed at children from toddlers up to around age 12.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any mental health conditions. Rebecca Agnew, LCSW has a private practice in State College, PA.