By Louise Pettifer, Wellbeing & Play Expert at CONNETIX.
Fostering Connections through Play
Play is a child’s language for understanding themselves, their relationships and the world around them, and child-led play helps build resilience and wellbeing.
It’s not always about the amount of time parents spend with their kids, as small moments or micro-doses of connection throughout the day can have a profound impact! This could look like playing your child’s favourite song in the living room and having a dance party together, creating and building together with CONNETIX, or letting your child choose a game or activity then fully embracing the silliness that may inevitably come.
The Power of Connecting with Kids at Bedtime
Nighttime routines can be key to quality sleep. When children go to bed feeling calm, secure and loved it signals to their bodies that it’s time to sleep.
Try winding down with your child by building a sensory-rich nightlight with the CONNETIX Light Star Pack.
Building Emotional Regulation through Creative Play
Open-ended toys with no set way to play provide important opportunities for children to understand and navigate their world, from expressing themselves through storytelling to processing thoughts and emotions, roleplaying scenarios, flexing problem-solving skills, impulse control. Hands-on and sensory activities switch on the “thinking” part of the brain responsible for executive function which ultimately supports to build self-regulation skills and learn positive coping strategies.
Create moments in the day for mindful and meaningful play that sparks creativity, calm and confidence. This might be colouring, sensory and fidget toys, or building with CONNETIX – there’s no limit to the imagination and what your child can do, and the creative play will have a positive impact on your child’s emotional development.
The Importance of Play for Big Kids Too
So often play is seen as something children “grow out of”, and it usually means more screen-focused entertainment from the pre-teen ages and up. Although, when we look at adolescent brain development, combined with the emotional load of navigating this sometimes-tumultuous period, play could actually be the missing piece of the puzzle! At this age older kids are creative masterminds. They’re hardwired to test the limits, take risks, think outside the box and seek novel experiences – it’s the perfect combination for innovation. With more and more pressure and cognitive demand for formal academics, as well as their social and emotional world rapidly expanding, tactile toys and creative resources can provide a powerful tool for tweens to self-regulate, express themselves and connect.
The key is to rethink what play looks like and who it’s for. It’s all about providing a challenge, to gain a sense of mastery, having opportunities for creative freedom and autonomy to pursue unique interests. Think more complex, advanced and interactive – card games, graphic design, fidget toys, brain teasers and construction sets like CONNETIX PROs.
Open-Ended Play Builds Resilience
Life is full of ups and downs, so as parents we want our children to be able to navigate these times, and to learn from them. From falling off a climbing frame at the playground to missing out on a friend’s birthday party, children face so many challenges throughout the day and show us just how resilient they can be. Resilience is just like a muscle that needs to be challenged, tested and nurtured to grow. That’s where imaginative, open-ended play comes in, as it offers the perfect low-stakes environment to practice these important life skills, turning “I can’t do it” to “Look what I did!”
Having purposeful toys available at home can play a huge role in building resilience skills through everyday play. Try to look for open-ended educational toys that promote problem solving and flexible thinking, where children can be challenged at every age and stage. The CONNETIX Bright Portal Pack allows children to engineer in creative new ways, testing their skills and taking creative risks as they learn about concepts of stability, design, symmetry and pattern. Resilience and positive self-talk can be re-modelled through play. Kids learn that it’s OK to make mistakes, to keep going when something feels hard, to be curious to find other ways of reaching their goals, and to celebrate the effort that they put in rather than just focusing on the end result.
About the expert
Louise Pettifer is the Wellbeing and Play Expert at CONNETIX Tiles. With a degree in psychology and extensive experience working with families in the community services and education sector, Louise is passionate about nurturing childhood development and wellbeing, and supporting parents, educators and allied health professionals to better understand the benefits of play in raising emotionally intelligent children. Louise is mum to a little girl.
CONNETIX is the educational toy, inspiring children to learn and grow through play. The award-winning Australian brand of high-quality, STEAM and MESH accredited magnetic tiles are designed to spark imaginations and nurture children’s development. Engineered with a difference, CONNETIX tiles are built to last and feature an exclusive bevel design, providing beautiful clear refractions while allowing children to build bigger. As an open-ended toy that grows with children as they learn and develop, CONNETIX is loved by families, educators, and allied health professionals across the globe. With an innovative range of compatible packs, it’s easy to level up builds and add exciting new elements to play! Find out more at connetixtiles.com
