Last night, parents joined us for the fourth session of the Power of Play. The program is highly interactive and designed for parents to learn how to apply intentional play to prevent burnout.
Sheila and George* participated from their home office and had a friend preparing their kids for bedtime. However, their 2-year old daughter Jen* started to cry and wanted to be with mom. I encouraged them to let her participate!
There were no toys in their office, so we decided to find an object to play with that was NOT a toy. They picked a flute and a pen and started tossing it and balancing it standing on one leg... THIS was fascinating for Jen*. She'd never seen her parents like this and started to participate too by bringing paper clips and file folders.
Creativity, spontaneity, variety, exploration and working with very limited resources were in full swing for the next 40 minutes.
The stress of the day was replaced by laughter and connection. Everyone felt included and respected. What an exciting way to end their day together!
* names have been changed