Incorporating movement with music, followed by mindful pauses, can be incredibly grounding. This practice is supported by research in music therapy and somatic practices. Moving to music—whether it’s dancing, swaying, or any form of rhythmic movement—allows you to release tension and engage with your body. After moving, pause to become aware of your body sensations and mindfully observe how you feel.
Read MoreThis morning, it took me an extra hour to prepare for work after watching videos of the weekend riots. I don't always have the capacity to watch the news, but staying informed is important when my nervous system can handle it.
The problem is, I know the monumental effort it takes to turn around just one young person conditioned by adverse circumstances like poverty, academic neglect, racism, foster care instability, bullying, and domestic abuse.
It can feel hopeless when you start to consider the challenges that we face.
We need to remember the immense number of workers in social care, charity sector and childcare systems required due to community breakdown.
How can your organisation embrace the International Day of Play on June 10th 2024:
Option A: Organise a 'fun' activity using the list below, that half of them will love and half of them will probably hate you for pulling them away from what they actually need or want to be doing. It will create memories and possibly build more connection and, with a good facilitator, you could have a lot of fun. Yes, I love to facilitate play-related experiences and retreats however there has to be a sustainable element to what you do to be MOST effective. Is there any follow-up? Is your facilitator therapeutically trained and insured? Are there ways of building connection over time and measuring results?
Option B: Invite me in to speak about living life the ‘Play-fuelled way’ that will support your overwhelmed parents who are exhausted and never feel good enough, help your heightened hyperactive team members who are on the edge of burnout to find some balance and encourage the slightly more unimpressed de-motivated members of the team to embrace creativity and innovation and think slightly differently once they all find out about Polyvagal Theory and the power of play. Then put in strategies to support your staff to integrate this 'play-fuelled' way of living in the long term.
The upcoming International Day of Play on June 11th represents a unique and exciting opportunity for primary schools to emphasise the significance of play in child development. Play Healing CIC is proud to support schools in embracing this day, highlighting the PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECT Ⓡ philosophy.
By engaging in play-based activities, we can strengthen bonds between parents, carers, and children, fostering emotional connections and cognitive development. Here are ten engaging and easy-to-implement suggestions for schools to celebrate the day, designed to be both fun and meaningful.
Read MoreThe Backstory - 3 sessions instead of 15…this experience confirmed to me that I had not only saved the mother hundreds in therapy costs but had also helped her grow in confidence and empowerment. She had the tools and a tailored approach to meet her son's unique needs, instead of relying on generic advice from the internet. They now had a model and philosophy to guide them as they grew in connection and understanding.
I later piloted the model with children in crisis, whether displaced by war or with parents on the brink of seeking intervention from children's services due to extreme behavior. Just a few sessions of play-based intervention with an attuned adult can make noticeable changes in behavior and interaction between parent and child, setting them on a path to healing.
Read MoreIn this article, we'll explore why it's essential to limit screen exposure for your little one and discuss the many benefits of replacing screen time with interactive activities that promote development and strengthen the connection between you and your baby. This in turn leads to several long-term benefits, such as increased self-esteem, better social skills, and improved emotional regulation. All essential skills, that could enhance their ability to land that dream job, so these early years really do matter.
Read MoreWhile there isn't a universally agreed-upon categorisation for play, here are some common ways to subdivide types of adult play….During Play Healing workshops I encourage adults to play in ways that feel aligned and work for them by saying ‘Permission to play your way,’ but sometimes it’s a struggle to know where to start so here are more than 50 different ways you could choose to play today:
Read MoreThe adoption of esports in schools around the world is on the rise as the esports and gaming industries are experiencing tremendous growth. While gaming has become a larger industry than movies, music, and traditional sports combined, many parents fail to understand the transformative power that games, esports, and play can have on their children.
Modern research states that playing video games can actually increase intelligence (link) as well as many other benefits. “Esports provides many positive aspects of extracurricular activities like teamwork, leadership, and dedication while also teaching transferable business and social-emotional skills,” says Shae Williams, co-founder of Parents in Esports (CoPE) and the parent of a professional gamer.
It’s so important for companies to ask how parents are finding the thought of returning to work - or even just how are they feeling at the moment?
What percentage would prefer to stay at home or are there any changes you can make to ensure that employees feel heard and valued? (Great for productivity and workplace culture too!)
There are many other causes of anxiety around work that also don’t stop just with parents, however, if we solely focus on parents for a moment. What actually ARE companies doing to address this, apart from waving the ‘flexible working’ card and expecting that to be enough?
How are we equipping parents to thrive? How are we giving themselves and their children the tools that will help them heal and lower stress levels?
Read MoreMy name is Andy Roberton and I regularly work with families finding video games a bit of a stress. Together we find ways to understand and interpret the behaviour around video games as a step towards healthier more productive relationships with this inescapable aspect of childhood (we may wish we could just lock away in a high cupboard).
While some of this work is helping children regulate their gaming and find a wider set of things to do, it also involves helping parents get a better understanding of what video games are from playing them first-hand.
Finding a game that you as an adult actually enjoy as a pastime can revolutionise your relationship with a child who loves gaming. I’m not suggesting you will enjoy Fortnite or Minecraft. You might, but it’s unlikely you’d choose that rather than Netflix and a glass of red wine in the evening.
Read MoreLet them see you struggle and perhaps maybe even offer to help you in the process (or laugh at you in my case). Send them a YouTube video of the latest esports tournament or drop in a couple of stats about this $1.2billion dollar industry.
How incredible would it be to facilitate a form of PLAY with endless opportunities to maintain CONNECTION with your child as they journey through these turbulent teenage years?
I’ve just come off a call with a mum who works in a top law firm explaining ‘off the record’ that she is dreading going back to work:
‘Having the break from work over the Christmas period has reminded me of the importance of play and connection with my family. I know that I will remember the hour or so I spent playing Minecraft with my son last night a lot more than the time when I handed him a puzzle when I was working from home and said ‘Go and play,’ but tomorrow, I’m faced with a massive caseload and will be juggling work and family life once again.’
Read More“I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” – Oprah Winfrey
Well over the last week I've needed to lean into this quote more than ever as I'm attempting to write a book.
Yep - you heard right!
This project started because I thought I'd currently be quarantining in a Canadian Hotel right now and wanted to make the most of that block of uninterrupted time.
Long story short - I'm not in Canada.
Read MoreI was always rushing like a busy bee from one thing to another burning the candle at both ends until I crashed. I would then turn into this monster of a patient full of frustration and anger because I couldn’t do what I felt like I needed to do.As soon as I felt better I’d then leap into action trying to make up for ‘lost time’.
Reflecting on this now, I feel super different to those days.
Although in bed I embraced this time as an opportunity to pause.
Pausing is the foundation of Play Healing. It’s the only thing that truly helped me to truly realign, reflect and make changes in my life was to pause.
Read MoreWhen we discover our tween has been lying to us it can definitely trigger all sorts of reactions. So I wanted to outline a few thoughts around our response to lying in line with my PLAY HEALING PAUSE MODEL.
Read MoreThings have slipped. The house is far too quiet and you know it’s not because the kids are sleeping.
In fact, you don’t even have to try and guess what your kids are up to.
You know.
It was like that yesterday after homeschool, and the day before that, and the day before that and now you’ve had enough.
Read MoreIn recent weeks I’ve had so many conversations with parents who are having to completely rewrite the way they play and connect with their children. I spoke to one couple who confessed, “Honestly, I’ve had to throw 80% of my parenting strategies out of the window since lockdown began.”
Read MoreDeep down, as parents, many of us are aware of our flaws. We often continue to remind ourselves daily of all the things we think we’re doing badly and usually feel full of guilt, however understanding our triggers is a proactive step towards growth as a person - another desire I have for all my clients.
Read MoreAs an experienced parent coach helping families to avoid tech addiction, play, forms an enormous part of my work.
Read MoreDebi starts to explore a variety of ways we can increase parental engagement in schools when it comes to keeping our children mentally and emotionally safe online.
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