Have fun, be you

“Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it.”

Eileen Caddy

A big bonus of working in childcare is that there’s lots of room for fun! Our daily schedule carves out times for play. And our choices are endless, we can play games, enjoy nature, story tell, read hilarious books, play make believe, listen to children’s funny stories, do arts and crafts and so on.

But sometimes we forget to give ourselves permission to join in on the fun.

Because we’re faced with lots of responsibilities. And as result, we might push play aside to do something else, like clean, put away toys, or document. Or maybe that day, we’re feeling tired. Or we don’t bother because they seem content with their peers or activities. 

But never forget that they want and need you, because you’re special.

You have so many unique gifts and talents to share with them. So please, make room for more fun! And when you do, be you. The children will be happy to play with the authentic you, the version that lights up when you’re in the moment, free and having fun with them

And when you make more space for this, you’ll notice your days will go by that much faster, and you’ll leave feeling refreshed and re-energized for tomorrow. As a bonus when we have fun with the kids it prevents challenging behaviours.

Mainly because we’re nearby, the children are engaged, they’re having a good time and we’re connecting with them.

So let your amazing self-shine and use your strengths to optimize having fun. It’s easier to be ourselves when we do things that we enjoy and are good at.

Take a moment to reflect on “What brings you joy?” or “Which hobbies make you happy?”

Now, if you had to choose “What are your top three strengths?

For example, if you’re a creative person who loves arts and crafts, embed more opportunities to do this in your programming. You’ll be able to showcase your talents, inspire the children and teach cool things.

If you’re great at teaching and love sports, add more of this in your days. Maybe you’ll play a soccer match with them, talk about your favorite sport and the players, teach the rules of soccer or chat about the history of the game.

Here’s some ideas to make it easier to do every day.

ACTION STEPS

• Write HAVE FUN! somewhere that you’ll see often (e.g., cell wallpaper, on a post-it near the door, cabinet or on your phone).

• Write down 3 things that you love to do.

• Write down your 3 biggest strengths. If you’re feeling stuck, ask family members, colleagues, or friends to help. Adults need and enjoy positive praise too!

• For each strength, brainstorm ways to include it in your programming (e.g., I’m funny so I’ll make up a goofy story to tell the children during free play).

• Do the same for each thing you love (e.g., I love hiking. I’ll gather my hiking equipment and bring it this week’s circle for show and tell).

Each day we get so many opportunities to have fun with the children. Sometimes we need to push things aside to be present and enjoy these important moments.

To give ourselves permission to be ourselves, to share our uniqueness with them, to laugh and to play wholeheartedly.

Please share with what your strengths are and how you’re going to embed them in your programming!

With all my love,

Alex