- Overview
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This book, by a child psychology expert with 17 years of experience, informs parents on how best to engage with their children through play.
- Book Intro
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Between the ages of 3 and 7, children start developing their self-esteem and experiencing rapid social development. That is precisely why it is imperative to playfully engage children’s minds during this time to help them grow both emotionally and mentally.
Children learn through play. Parents will most likely be their child's first friends in life, which is why a stable relationship with parents helps to determine a child’s lifelong emotional well-being. Unfortunately however, not many parents know how to play with their children. Parents are often tired and exhausted themselves, and turn to the latest YouTube channel for help while feeling guilty in doing so. Going through the motions of reading a book when you don’t feel like it, disciplining children as a form of play, or getting rid of smartphones and TVs altogether—none of these are effective methods of interacting with your child.
So how should we play with our children?
In this book, the author introduces a new method of play developed over years of research and experience, which has yielded surprising results among parents interested in early childhood education. Parents have discovered they have grown closer with their children and are quick to engage in more physical contact. Children who've displayed problematic behavior have shown signs of improvement. Above all, many parents responded that they have experienced healthy, beneficial conversations with their children, and that the times they've shared together have been comforting and stress-free.
In these critical, formative years between 3 and 7 years of age, children can be supported along their journey of stability, self-esteem, social development, and emotional self-regulation using this helpful playbook and just 20 minutes a week.
The book contains 25 different forms of play, outlined in order from preparatory play to finishing play. The forms of play are listed in the order of physical play, imaginative play, and collaborative play, with detailed, easy-to-follow instructions on the methodology, expected outcomes, and materials needed for each of the forms.
Parents who have always wanted to engage in better play with their children but simply don’t know how will find the information in the book tremendously helpful, as it details how best to interact with children using various activities such as coloring, cutting, and pasting. Using the simple, expert-formulated checklists provided in the book, parents can track their own progress. The book also comes complete with pages for parents to take notes and write down their experiences with their children. Through this book, parents can engage in a structured yet simple approach to playing with their children, rather than being overwhelmed by the process. With the final checklist, parents too can reflect on their thoughts and experiences.
- About the Author
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Choi Hee Ah
Author Choi Hee Ah received a master's degree in dance education from New York University and completed a master's course in dance movement therapy from the Pratt Institute. She went on to receive her doctorate in child psychology therapy from Hanyang University. Currently, she is the CEO of Mind Space, a content development company specializing in culture, art, and psychology, as well as the director of the Center of Mind Emotion Psychotherapy. She offers play therapy and education to young children and their parents in Chungnam, Daechi, and Bundang.
