Do you wish to be a fun parent? Just play the fool! Yes, playing the fool or acting silly with your kids is not only fun parenting, but it’s also good for you and your little one. To start with it’s a great way to engage with your child in a lighter way without seeming to make it a teaching moment. We all do that with babies, but as they grow older, we tend to look for teaching moments in all we do. Being silly is a fun parent and child activity that helps you bond with your child on a different plain.
Moreover, there are many benefits to being silly once in a while!
The Huffington Post says that during the last decade, researchers around the globe have focused on the importance of silliness or playfulness. It cites Rene Proyer, a psychologist at the University of Zurich. He discovered that people who exhibit high levels of playfulness or silliness are often outgoing, spontaneous, creative and fun-loving.
At the same time, they are much better equipped to cope with stress, to lead active lifestyles and to succeed academically.
In another study, the researchers at Pennsylvania State University discovered that playful or silly behavior makes people more attractive to others.
If nothing else, here is something that should help:
Laughter relieves tensions
Being silly reduces blood pressure.
A good laugh can release endorphins, those feel-good chemicals that can make you healthier.
It also improves the immune system, making kids less susceptible to illness.
You can also teach more while you are acting silly
When you are laughing and having fun, the constraints are down. Children are more receptive to what is being said and done while they are laughing and having fun.
Not every teaching moment has to be in a serious tone and a classroom setting. For instance, juggling balls in a funny way is a great way to show them how everything falls down and then help connect that to gravity at a more appropriate age and time.
It is also an opportunity to talk about how practice makes perfect or why failure is just a learning step. Kids learn to be happy in the moment
Better yet, do not look for teaching moments. Just enjoy the fun, laugh, love and be in the moment.
So how do you act silly with your kids? Remember the peek-a-boo game that enthralled your baby for a long time, but which you probably gave up on as they grew older? You may not want to bring back peek-a-boo with older kids, but there are several other ways to play the fool and make it a fun parenting activity.
Do a silly voice while reading. We all know how essential reading to a child is, but how about you add an element of laughter to it by making funny voices and noises? Young children will be engrossed and may even find the same story more interesting when you do that.
Pick a fight. Yes, you can pick a pillow fight with your little one and the pre-bedtime activity time becomes great fun. It is not always recommended that you pick a pillow fight, but a gentle pillow fight once in a way, keeping in mind the safety of your little one is a fun parenting activity that can take the stress of the day way is a swoosh of the pillow. Try it and see how your little one enjoys it.
Make that face contest. Forget that perfect selfie profile, make silly faces instead. You and your child can make faces at each other and see who wins at making the best one, most creative one. You need no equipment for this contest, and everyone wins.
Tell those little jokes, tickle them silly or just play at making silly faces and see who can do it the most. Even if you do not look for anything except for momentary happiness, there is news that says there is more.
Those who learn to be playful can entertain themselves without getting bored even as they grow older. They are mentally more fit and well-adjusted socially.
This is the perfect month to do so. April started with an 'All fools day' and so let us all make the mood for this month about playfulness and silliness. So go ahead. Have some fun and see how silly you can get with your kids. Teach them to explore their prankster side safely and in an acceptable manner. It might even become your favorite fun parenting activity!
You will not just help them grow as individuals; you will also help them make some beautiful memories. They may be young, but they will remember being happy kids and have a healthy childhood!
Isn't that just what you wish for them? Go ahead, be a fun parent. Happy All Fools day!!