Joanna’s top tips

Using play to connect and maybe problem solve some challenges at home

1. Sometimes your child will become emotionally dysregulated, meaning either hyper energised or flat. Rather than verbally interrogate “what’s wrong?”, use play to help them get back to a more optimum level of energy. Jelly and ice cream is a great game for this. Every time you say jelly, your child must say ice cream, but they must say it the same way that you do. So if you yell jelly, they yell ice cream, but if you whisper jelly, they whisper ice cream. Be creative and use lots of funny ways to do this. Tip: If your child is hyper, start loud and get quieter, and do the opposite if they appear a bit flat.

2. Some children need help with impulsivity and learning to take their verbal cues from the adult in charge, especially relevant at this back-to-school time. You can play red light/green light to help. Have your child stand on other side of room and tell them to cross over to you by using hops/jumps/baby steps etc but they can only go when you say green light and must stop when you say red light.

3. Some children need help winding down when it’s time to go to bed. Playing cotton ball face massage can help with this. Get your child lying in bed on their back, tucked in. Invite them to close their eyes and, using a cotton ball, trace all around their faces down to their necks and perhaps down their arms if they like it. Use enough pressure so that they feel it; too soft will feel ticklish and too hard will hurt. A couple of minutes of this activity will not only help them wind down, but may even send them to sleep.