Power Parenting
The Power of Silly!
We all know that when we laugh, even over something that is just plain silly, our moods can lighten, we can see past our troubles, and we can grow closer together as a family! Ok, let’s get serious before we start laughing. When we laugh, we take in oxygen-rich air, which stimulates our hearts, lungs, and muscles. It also helps our brain release endorphins, which relieve stress responses. Remember, the likelihood that information will move to long-term storage in our brains is greatly enhanced when we are experiencing a high level of emotions while learning something new. (Mayoclinic.org).
Three good reasons to release your silly power:
“Humor helps families build positive relationships (and a lifetime of wonderful memories). It can even help us create goodwill and forgiveness.”
Humor helps us deal with our troubles and develop skills of resilience. Learning to laugh about our mistakes can help us get past them!
Laughing, especially laughing so hard you grab your tummy and almost cry, boosts our immune system and provides all of the physical benefits we learned about above! (Sesamestreetincommunities.org)
The Power of Imagination
What kind of adventures have you been on lately? When I was in Mrs. Jones’s classroom one morning last month, she and the kids were on an adventure to the mountains and to the ocean. Oh yes, they wore adventure hats, collected rocks and shells, and even got on a kid-built adventure bus! All of this happened while Mrs. Alberts’s class went camping while wearing flannel shirts, arranging sleeping bags, and building a campfire. Hmmm…. And they never left the classroom! Does this remind you of the fun we had building forts with couch cushions as children?
Children learn as they play. They practice social skills by working together, sharing, and developing empathy. They are learning to think critically as they plan what they are going to do, listen to the adventure stories and prompts, and transform the scenario into their own child-led play. They also learn positive ways to express their emotions, self-regulate (handy when you are busy doing parent stuff), and develop self-confidence in their ability to create and build! When your child comes up with a silly idea, go with it! Do you need ideas to ignite your child’s imagination without leaving your home? Try these:
Play Restaurant. Can your child use some items from your pantry (empty containers are fabulous) and cupboards to take orders, invent new recipes, and use pots and pans to pretend to cook? Yes, your child will be developing writing, math and language without knowing it!
Play “What Else Can It Be.” When using common household items, ignite imagination by encouraging curiosity, mental imagery, and vocabulary skills. One example is a paper-towel tube. What can it be? A telescope? A ramp for rolling marbles? A mega-phone? A snake? How about a piece of ribbon or string?
Put on a Fashion Show. Play dress up with new school clothes, hats, adventure outfits, and random accessories you have at home. Children build fine motor skills and strength needed for future writing when they are manipulating buttons, zippers, and buckles. They also are learning how to plan for multiple steps to become independent with dressing, all while developing their coordination skills. Don’t forget to take pictures!
Go Snorkeling. During bath time, pretend you are on an adventure in the deep sea! Use goggles to explore seashells, fish (stickers), plant life (plastic plants), rocks (craft stones and marbles), and maybe even a reef. Have towels ready just in case there is a tsunami!
Cushion Forts? Yes, good old-fashioned cushion/pillow/blanket forts are timeless and will build a lifetime of memories for your child.
The Power of Awareness
Paying attention to our inner dialogue can be a game-changer. Often what we think will happen, does happen. Research has found that positive thinking can aid in stress management and even plays an important role in your overall health and well-being. (How power of positive thinking works. The Harvard Gazette. Published December 7, 2016.) Positive thinking does not mean we must always have happy thoughts; it means that no matter our circumstances, we are using our thoughts to guide us to a healthy response or outcome.
How can we teach our children to develop a healthy inner dialogue? One of the most powerful tools we can use as parents and educators is modeling this inner dialogue by “thinking out loud.”
When we are anticipating something exciting, we can talk out loud about what we are feeling and how it affects our body. “I’m thinking about swimming lessons tonight. I’m full of energy and my brain is wondering if we will catch the toys underwater again.”
When we encounter a challenge or a change, we can talk out loud about steps to problem-solving. “Hmmm… it looks like the road is blocked ahead. I wonder if I should just wait or if I should try to turn and go a different way? Maybe I should go around the block and then try to come back to this street.”
When feeling stressed, we can talk out loud about our feelings and what might help. “Hmmm… right now I’m feeling upset. I’m feeling frustrated because I need to make dinner, but I’m also tired and just want to rest. I wonder if I should take a break for 5 minutes and then see if I feel better? Maybe if I drink water while I take a break, my body will have more energy to make dinner. Hmmm… sometimes when I’m stressed a hug helps me feel better too. Can you help me with any of this?”
The Power of Prayer
In all circumstances, the power of prayer is our ultimate parenting superpower. When excited, we can pray with gratitude for our amazing gifts. When facing a challenge, we can pray for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom. When feeling stressed, we can reach out to Christ, our healer for our pain, our redeemer when we feel helpless, and the one who gives us grace, no matter how many times we mess up as a parent. Sometimes prayer is that inner dialogue we have with Christ throughout our day, praising, thanking, and requesting. Praying with our little ones is a simply amazing habit to start. But don’t forget to set aside time to have focused prayer yourself, so that you can be refueled with the strength and love given freely to you by God.
Looking for frequent, brief family ideas at your fingertips?
Bright by Text is one of the partners with SDPB, which provides a national parent texting program to give expert tips, games and child development tools directly to you! Text SDKIDS to 274448. You will receive another text asking for your child’s birthdate and your zip code. The purpose of providing this information is to be sure you receive information tailored to your child’s age. You can even enter multiple ages.
May God bless your family!
Mrs. Brenda Bernard
Early Childhood Director & Elementary Principal, SFLS
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, our mission is to develop capable, Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, we are committed to partnering with parents and the church to raise lifelong learners who use their gifts and the fruits of the Spirit, in faith, to touch a troubled world with God’s grace.