Counseling Corner
This week we are focusing on laughter, song, and dance. Brene Brown, a leading expert on the topic of the strengths of imperfections, is quoted as saying: “Laughter, song, and dance create emotional and self connection. They remind us of the one thing that truly matters when we are searching for comfort, celebration, inspiration, or healing: We are not alone.” The power of play is more than just a chance to have fun, play is serious business when it comes to a child’s health and development. Laughter, song, and dance also create situations where we can overcome vulnerabilities and get in touch with our former child to build a stronger sense of self-all while modeling for our own children that it’s okay to laugh, sing (even if it’s poorly), and dance (even if you have two left feet) because the connection you create with a silly family dance off goes far beyond the moment that it occurs and creates lasting core memories.
Applying This Concept At Home: Play As a Toxic Stress Buster (from healthychildren.org)
In addition to boosting a child’s health and development, play helps build the safe, stable and nurturing relationships that buffer against toxic stress and build social emotional resilience. The mutual joy and one on one interaction that happens during play can manage the body’s stress response. In one study, three and four year old children who presented as anxious were two times more likely to feel less stressed when allowed to play for 15 minutes, compared to classmates who just listened to a story.
Need inspiration? Here are some types of play:
Toys & Object Play: Building with blocks together, sensory play, conducting kitchen science experiments…older children may enjoy cooking together or attending an art class at your local public library.
Physical and Outdoor Play: This could be thought of as ‘free play’ (like you may remember from recess when you were a child). Find your nearest park and play! Games like Duck Duck Goose and tag fall into this category and help develop social skills.
Pretend Play: This type of play lets young children experiment with different social roles and learn to cooperate. “Playing dress up” might be their first version of career exploration. Older children may lean towards games or extracurricular experiences such as theatre to expand on these skills.
