Playful Parenting: PTA Coffee Break

Laguna Beach PTA Coffee Break presents PLAYFUL PARENTING: a Bold Way to Nurture Close Connections and Solve Behavior Problems , 8:15 to 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, January 20, at the Surf and Sand Hotel, Laguna Beach. Cost is $5 for coffee & muffins.

Children of all ages have an ongoing need for connectedness, security and attachment; playful interaction with parents is an important way to develop such bonds. Through play, parents can help their kids gain greater confidence, express bottled up or difficult feelings, recover from daily emotional upheavals, negotiate agreements, express love and--not least--have fun.

Playful Parenting, developed by Dr. Larry Cohen, gives parents the tools they need to make interactions with children more fun, foster clearer communication and a stronger connection between parent and child, and offer an alternative discipline approach rather than the typical punitive or permissive models. This Coffee Break is especially useful for elementary and middle school parents!

Learn about:

Harnessing the power of play to get kids to cooperate without power struggles

Rethink discipline to emphasize good judgment rather than obedience

Teaching kids to play their way through sibling rivalry

Breaking through shyness, anger and fear with play

Helping boys improve their emotional literacy and girls feel more empowered