Family Fridays: Playfulness

This morning I am sitting here writing and my kids have taken off in all directions. One is at camp, one is on a camping trip and the last playing with friends. I love that they have found fun things to do and at the same time I want to be sure that the fun is also happening everyday in our home.

Fun is the name of the game in the summer. This provides a good opportunity to practice keeping it light. As parents our moods set the stage for the household. If you are able to bring lightness to your home, your children will also be able to move with lightness. You can model this by adding playfulness to all parts of your life.

Play, enjoyment and ease in life can be areas that are not always emphasized. It is important to place a value on these aspects by making them a priority in your life. The benefits can be profound and leave an impression on your children. When children are young they are receiving ideas about what rules to live by. If they are able to see that there can be an ease to life they will be able to bring this forward throughout their lives.

One of the ways parents can contribute to their child’s future is by learning the importance of enjoying life and passing that on. This might not be easy for you because it seems to good to be true. Many people have the belief that life must have a quality of struggle and that enjoyment is a luxury. If this is your belief I invite you to challenge it. In letting go of this limit you can open up to the possibility that life is a place to play and pass this along to your family.

Bringing playfulness and lightness in your life brings fun. This reduces stress, adds to the quality of life and provides room for more joyful relationships.

If you would like to talk about being playful in life please call, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or share your comments below. Here is an activity that you can try with your family, just for fun.

ACTIVITY:
Start today to turn ordinary tasks into games. This is often something we do with very young children but it is just important for older kids and adults. Find the joy in chores and routines.

1. Brainstorm some ways a chore, task or routine could be fun. (Ex. Being all together, playing music…)
2. Come up with a game for the task. (ex. Passing the dishes from one person to the next to set the table or only walking backwards while you are getting ready for bed.)
3. Try to add a game into every day!

You get to choose the quality of your day and therefore the quality of your life by deciding how you want to feel.