At the beginning of the week I posted a great article about just playing with children. According to a study done by Kansas State University, children do actually learn through playing with their parents. Children can learn about courage, learn they are capable, learn to connect and learn to count.

It's important as parents to spend that one on one time with them without devices and without interruptions so they will be happier and develop into a "mentally healthy adult."

In the spirit of summer coming up, I found several very interesting activities you can do with your children at home! Check out my pinterest page entitled "Kids Stuff" to see activities such as filling eggs with paint and throwing them at canvas, making moon sand, doing ice chalk during the summer, flight school, and sharpie dishes. Important activities with your kids are such that inspire creativity, imagination, and possibly cooperation with others or independent worked. Please leave comments of activities you enjoy with your kids! 

Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/candycane881/kid-stuff/

Referenced article: http://psychcentral.com/news/2015/04/19/improve-parenting-skills-by-remembering-how-to-play/83720.html#.VTWP4NxR_So.facebook

Child abuse is still prevalent in our society today. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a social worker, especially one working with children, I feel it is my job to help with awareness to educate and continuously build families. Families are the base of a child's support system and most important when preventing child abuse. Sometimes abuse is unintentional and unseen by us, but obvious to our children who are very sensitive to our acts as parents.

Here are six protective factors we can all focus on to help build our families as identified by the child welfare office. Learning protective factors and making sure we make necessary changes in the home if these things aren't present is important to the prevention of child abuse. 

Nurturing and Attachment
            Show how much you love each other every day by smiling, hugging, listening and talking. Engage in regular activities with your children and become involved in their life. Kids notice your involvement in all aspects of their life.

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
            Learn new things about children and learn new things about parenting. Ask questions and subscribe to appropriate info sources. Share what you learn when you learn something new. It also wouldn’t hurt to take parenting classes. I’m the first to admit that I’ve never been a parent before and I need a lot of help! It’s ok to need help sometimes.

Parental Resilience
            Learn to bounce back from challenges. Learn appropriate coping skills for yourself. Take time for yourself to re-energize, share feelings, gain support systems and participate in activities such as exercising.

Social Connections
            Fine people who provide emotional support. Such connections can be neighborhood or church attendants, play groups, or other support groups. Keep yourself connected. Don’t feel like you have to parent by yourself. 

Concrete Supports for Parents
            Meet day to day needs or know where to find help if needed. As I just mentioned, know that you don’t have to parent alone. If you need help find appropriate help from a professional. Find professional support in your areas by calling 2-1-1.

Social and Emotional Competence of Children
            Children need to know they are loved and know they belong. Children also need to learn to get along with others. Regular routines, encouraging problem solving and teaching the importance of feelings and such ways for children to gain this competence.

For more information please visit Children's Bureau's website

“Play is the child’s language.” (Association of Play Therapy)

Play therapy is therapy through the use of toys and playing. Toys are used as a language for children to teach and explore. The purpose of play therapy is to express feelings, work on behaviors and learn appropriate problem-solving and decision making skills. Play therapy also helps kids learn to socialize and relate more to others.

Play therapy closes the communication gap. Younger children are not developed enough to express exactly how they are feeling through languages. What they are saying is expressed and explored through themes that might develop during play therapy. For example, a child who has been in a car accident may crash cars together. Similarly a child experiencing a divorce in the family, issues are seen in how the toys communicate with each other possibly through arguing or yelling.

Play therapy works by children exploring and “playing out” different scenarios until they have resolved or “processed” what is going on. Children are also able to take on different, various roles in plays such as a victim or a super hero. Children are encouraged to play out scenarios in a safe place. Play therapy encourages expression with as few limits as possible. Play therapy research shows this mostly benefits children ages 3 to 12, but play therapy also has beneficial elements that can be used with adolescents and adults. 


Why do I choose play therapy? I personally love play therapy because I’ve seen it work. Kids are much more willing to sit down with providers if they are on the same level. Most kids are unable to sit down and “talk it out” for an entire hour. Play therapy invites a more relaxed setting and can deepen a relationship with the therapist by letting them into the child's world. Play is a child's work, and what better way to work on mental health than using their language.