learning through play Archives

More Than Just Trophies

In my last newsletter, I wrote about celebrating small wins for adults – those little moments that make life feel lighter, more meaningful, and remind us we’re making progress.

I began to wonder how kids see wins in their own lives, so I asked my son about small wins. He looked at me and said, “I don’t know what you mean.”

I decided to try a different question: “What’s a big win?”

At first, he said, “Winning a hockey tournament.” Then, after a pause, he changed his answer: “Having fun.”

That made me realize – this is exactly why the benefits of play for kids are so important.

For kids, it’s freedom, curiosity, and connection. It’s laughter with friends, trying new skills, and discovering what excites them. It’s the courage to stumble, get back up, and try again without fear of failure. These moments help them manage their emotions and take a break from life’s pressures, giving them space to recharge.

When children are fully engaged in what they love, they experience the benefits of play for kids firsthand – building confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging. Joy, curiosity, and playfulness shape their character, friendships, and how they see the world.

This is what I know: Next time you see kids laughing, playing, or absorbed in what they love, remember – these aren’t just playtime moments. They’re opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. These are the big wins that don’t come with trophies.

Until next time…

29 Apr 2021

Strengthen Kids Well-being through Play

Kids are facing challenging times. They have had to adapt to so many changes and countless cancelled extracurricular activities that they enjoyed and looked forward to.

And what does this trigger… lots of tough emotions that can affect their overall well-being.

One way you can nurture a child’s well-being and help them release their emotions in a healthy way is by engaging in play – an essential component to developing their resilience, confidence, happiness and overall health.

By actively playing with kids you create a stronger bond that shows you care and appreciate them. When I play with my son, it strengthens our connection and becomes the gateway for him to open up about his concerns, emotions, worries and joys.

Support a child’s play experiences by being present and engaged in:

Outdoor fun – a walk, a hike, bicycling, rollerblading, shooting hoops
Games – cards, board games, hide & go seek, scavenger hunt, video game for 2 or more
Activities – crafts, painting, baking, jigsaw puzzles, Lego
Music – sing, dance, play an instrument, write a song
Books – read out loud together, play the characters in the book, make funny voices, change the ending

Another way to support your child’s play experience is by asking them to write a list of activities that they would enjoy doing with you. You can then choose something off their list that helps them feel good.

If you’re short on time, you could say, ‘I have a busy day but I have saved 15 minutes to do an activity that you like.’ We do this with our son and he always says, ‘Let’s play mini sticks.’

We set the timer and play. Even 15 minutes of quality play, makes a positive difference by adding joy, laughter, problem solving and connection.

Until next time…