Resources for Parents
#ParentingWin: Raising Happier, Healthier Kids
Play builds brains. When kids play, they grow the skills they need to thrive in school and everywhere else.
A few simple tips will help you see your child blossom through play.
- Let Kids Explore Freely
- Mistakes = Opportunities
- Embrace Repetition
- Focus on the Process
- Pose Challenges
Let Kids Explore Freely
Remind yourself: “There is more than one right way of doing things.” Give kids a shot. When needed, guide without taking over.
View Mistakes as Opportunities
Play is a lifelong game of trial-and-error. Go along with goofs and spills. As Yoda says, “The greatest teacher failure is.”
Embrace Repetition
Hearing “Again! Again!” is a good thing. When children repeat activities over and over, they are joyfully mastering their world.
Focus on the Process
Play is a journey, not a destination. Focus on how children are playing and the way they take on new challenges.
Pose Challenges
Throw plot twists into a child’s play. Like “What would happen if___?” A gorilla showed up? Everyone had wings? You get the idea.
Stay Informed
Sign up for the Power of Play email newsletter for tips, info and inspiration about making play a priority for your family.
10 West Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
651-225-6000
mcm@mcm.org
Parent resources are funded in part with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
