Playtime with dad – why it matters

While self regulation, emotional resiliency, rich vocabulary, and self esteem are important life skills that everyone needs to be emotionally healthy, they play an especially crucial role in surviving that college engineering program, challenging PhD, or demanding first job after college. Why is it that some students show up more ready to deal with these challenges than others?

It turns out that playing rough and tumble with dad as a kid is one of the best ways to do that. Amodia-Bidakowska et al (2020)^[1]Amodia-Bidakowska, A., Laverty, C., & Ramchandani, P. G. (2020). Father-child play: A systematic review of its frequency, characteristics and potential impact on children’s … Continue reading reviewed the literature on father-kid play, and found that :

It noted that mothers and fathers were equally playful and creative in their play ideas, as well as that children with more playful fathers had better vocabularies at the age of 5.

Why might this be the case?

“You might have to control your strength, learn when things have gone too far — or maybe your father steps on your toe by accident and you feel cross! It’s a safe environment in which children can practice how to respond. If they react the wrong way, they might get told off, but it’s not the end of the world, and next time they might remember to behave differently.”

For more ideas, see Healthline’s 20 Great Activities for Your Toddler or Preschooler.