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Cohen, psychologist and author of Playful Parenting and The Opposite of Worry, about the importance of play in childhood and how we can tap into our child’s innate desire to play to build connection. 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.Click here to get each podcast in your inbox!Ĭlick here to learn more about the Mindful Parenting Teacher Certification program!ĭo you find that all too often you’re having to bark orders to get things done? What if there was a better, more playful way to get your kids to cooperate? Today, I talk with Dr. 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