The Therapy Edit - One Thing with Claire Russell on taking the boredom out of play

Episode Date: June 10, 2022

On this episode of "One Thing' Anna chats with early years expert and founder of playHOORAY, Claire Russell. Claire shares her tips and tricks for how we can find inspiration for new and easy ways to play with our children and how we can make it less of a chore and more fun.Claire Russell is a Mum, author and founder of playHOORAY. playHOORAY! is all about equipping you with the tools to entertain your young children. You do not need a houseful of expensive toys to get the kids playing. It’s amazing what you can create with the items you already have around the house and eagle eye for ‘play potential’.You can find out more about playHOORAY and shop Claire's resources here https://playhooray.co.ukAnd you can follow Claire on Instagram at @play.hooray

Hello and welcome to The Therapy Edit with me, psychotherapist, mum of three and author Anna Martha. Every Friday, I invite one guest to tell me the one thing they would most like to share with mums everywhere. So join with me as we hear this dose of wisdom. I hope you enjoy it. Hello there. So today is a guest episode of The Therapy Edit and I have with me, not with me on the screen. I wish I was, I wish I was with you, Claire, the lovely Claire Russell of play hooray. You are an early years specialist and you are passionate about

equipping parents with the tools just to help us play and interact with our children, not in a way that kind of is asking us to kind of buy a house full of expensive toys, but actually just encouraging us to use what we already have. You've got activity cards and play prompts when we need those kind of just a bit of inspiration. And you've got your book, The Play, Hooray Handbook. So thank you for everything that you do, Claire. And how are you today? Oh, thank you so much, Anna, for having me on.

As you know, I adore what you do. And honestly, your podcast has helped me so much. So thank you as well. And yes, it's lovely to be here. I'm good, a little bit nervous because I'm a bit fangirling you. But yes, nice to be here. Thank you. Well, no, it's an absolute pleasure to have you.

And I think play is something that I always assumed would just come completely naturally to me as a mum. And I just think sometimes there are those moments where kind of scrabbling around for an idea just to get the kids to interact a little bit more rather than just kind of, I don't know, just watching TV or something like that. And it is such a bonding experience, isn't it? But I just think it's so easy to take for granted that some of us need, like, really benefit from those prompts and those ideas and things that. perhaps we wouldn't have thought about, that we can get real joy and connection from? Yeah, well, that's it. And that's sort of why I made it, actually, because I created the play prompts for myself with no intention of ever advertising or selling them on Instagram. I was a teacher on maternity leave at home with my tiny, beautiful baby. I was first time mom.

And like you say, you just presume that you, you know, as early as teacher, I'll know how to keep my baby entertained, but it can be really hard. And I think sometimes it's easy for us to presume. We know how to stimulate our little ones, but it's not easy. And let's be honest, sometimes it's a bit boring. It can be quite mundane, a long day at home with the little one. So yeah, that's where I'm trying to help if I can. So Claire, what is the one thing that you'd love to share with all mums? So my one thing is just the power of adding a little bit of play to your day, it really can turn things around. I always like and play to exercise. You know, sometimes you don't feel like you want to do it. It's the last thing you want to do.

You're exhausted, but once you get up and get your trainers on and you just know that you will always feel better for it, and I find the same with play. There are days when you're just exhausted for numerous reasons being a parent. But, so, you're always feel better for. But, sometimes just finding five minutes of silliness or being on the floor and rolling around with your kids or and it doesn't have to be. I think there's some, I'm very conscious on Instagram at the moment. It's become very popular to see these absolutely beautiful photogenic Pinterest-worthy activities using beautiful matching wooden toys and all these things and believing that that's what play should be. But actually it's not. It's about building a den with what you've got,

you know, a bed sheet or whatever, or finding five minutes just to roll around and be silly or kick a football around the garden, just five minutes with your little ones. Really can make a difference. Not only for your darling children who will obviously appreciate that quality one-on-one time with you, but also for you, you know, as parents, we need to keep playing as well. There's a brilliant saying about we don't, about growing old, you know, we've got to keep playing no matter what age we are. it keeps us young and just that bonding time with our kids as well they will always appreciate it so yeah I love that and I think what is great is that it's kind of tapping into what's fun for us as well rather than what we think and what we see fun should be because I think you're so right on

especially on social media there's often you know players play can be portrayed in a certain way and you might think actually I'm I don't love glitter or I don't I don't love Pinterest crafts you know what do I love. I love bouncing on the trampoline and making stupid games or I like, I know, making dens or kind of thinking about, yeah, how do you like to play? Because I guess if we do things more in line with what's authentic to us, then we're going to be more engaged. Yeah, absolutely. And I do get a lot of parents reach out to me actually and ask for help because they say, I find it really hard to get down on the floor and be silly or I don't know how to play with my child. And I always, my advice is always, well, what did you enjoy playing as a child? What was your thing? For me,

it was shoe shops. It was getting all the shoes out the cupboard and having a little pot of money. I could spend hours sorting. I'd tidy the shelves and have customers. And that was my thing. I now love doing it with my children because it just brings back all of that nostalgia feelings and it helps you sort of to reconnect with that inner child. And I always say the same to parents. you know, tried introducing a type of play that you used to love doing, whether it was, you know, for my husband, it's football, that's what he goes to playing football in the garden or if it's like nature, if you enjoyed nature or bite rise or anything, it could be absolutely anything at all, sharing that with your children. I love that shoe shop idea. We've got so five of us

in our house, we've got so many different pairs of shoes and flip-flops. And I think even, you know, it's made me think maybe when they get back from school today, I might just get to loads of the shoes out, get their little plastic till from the playroom and just put it, put it down there and maybe a ruler. Because getting your feet measured is also, it's so fun, isn't it? I remember loving that when I was little and just seeing what they do with it. I love that idea. And that's actually, like you said, Anna, putting it out and just see what they do with it. I always suggest, you know, that's the best thing. Rather than, you know, there are all those times. I have a seven-year-old now, so he's not quite reliant on me for play.

He can entertain himself these days. But I get a tiny window. on a Sunday where I have an 18-month-old when he naps, and we have time together. And it's so tempting for me to be like, come on Mason, come and sit with me, let's do an activity. You know, that's the last thing he wants to do is come and sit with his mom. But quite often, if you leave things, entreating things, or like you said, the till with a pile of shoes, if you sort of leave it out for them to discover for themselves, it's so interesting to see how they take it, because they might set up a shoe shop, or they might do something completely different, which is just as good. but those sort of finding their own ways to play,

following their own initiative, coming up with their own ideas. It's just, that is the best type of play. This is so helpful. And I think it's just really freeing as well, actually, when you start thinking, I don't have to do anything wild or special. We can just get the shoes out. We can just, I don't get the pans out. Or just kind of, yeah, just using those things around you.

And Claire, what do you like to do? What do you, as a grown-up then, like to do for play? What's your fun stuff? What's your play? Well, actually, when you came on, you may have seen I was scrolling. My thing is art. I used to do art when I was always going to art. And I didn't. I changed and went into teaching. Painting, drawing, anything like that is my thing. And it's really funny.

You said that because I'm trying really hard to find time to do it again. I'm naturally a very creative person. And I really missed that part of it. And just doing it for me as well, as a mum, you know, we spend our time to do it. Everything else is prioritised, whereas I'm really trying to find a chunk of time. And just at the weekend, I treated myself to some canvases with, and brush and paints. And I was like, right, I'm going to get back into it. And I had that moment of a big, like, canvas in front of me.

And I was like, well, what am I going to do? But it was just lovely. And I just started making marks. And, you know, it doesn't, I think, with anything like art or sports or, anything like that, people are so quick to be like, well, you know, if you say that you paint, it's like, well, are you any good? Actually, you don't need to be any good. If you enjoy it and it's just a bit of time to let your mind go and I put on an audio book and I was just painting and it's just so lovely. So I am trying really hard to bring that into my life. Because

also it's important for my kids to see that as well that mom enjoys painting and or I don't know, mom enjoys reading or anything like that. It's important. Our kids see that we have hobbies and what we enjoy doing with our spare time. So I am trying if I can find time for it. Thank you for that. Yeah. What a relief. What a relief to hear these things. Just really takes the pressure off. So thank you, Claire. I have some quick five questions for you. So what is a motherhood high for you? Motherhood high. Probably the age gap between my children wasn't planned. Just didn't think we were able to have anymore. And now seeing the boys together, just how much my eldest dotes on the younger one. I mean, the young one is like, back off. Stop with the hugs and the

kisses. He's not so bad. But just seeing the bond, I think that has to be the high, how much they love each other. That's wonderful. And what's a motherhood low for you? I think the guilt that we give ourselves, you know, it doesn't stop no matter what we do. Like I say, you get to the end of day, oh, I haven't played today, but let's not forget the chats and the conversations and the lovely time and, you know, seeing the world and all this. We beat, I beat myself up about every little thing and I know, you know, I know I shouldn't and I've listened to your podcast and I'm trying like, but we still do it, don't we? You know, so yeah, I think learning to manage the, the whole mum guilt thing is really tough. Yeah, you're not alone in there. And what's one thing that makes

you feel good? I think it really has to be those days when you have, when you've laughed, I think when the kids have made me laugh. And I've laughed like a proper hearty, belly laugh. And they will have you giggling and just, um, it can just be the silliest little things. I think laughing with the kids has to be one of the best things. So therapeutic, isn't it?

It's so connecting. I love it. Um, and then finally, Claire, how would you describe motherhood in three? words oh oh well that's a tough one Anna um how would I I would say it has been it's the best thing but the hardest thing hmm it's got to be playful I've got to have play at that haven't I yeah best hard playful oh well brilliant oh thank you so much Claire and I encourage people to go and seek you out on Instagram and you're at play hooray and then

And then you've got the Play Hooray Handbook and your prompt cards as well. So thank you so much for helping us take the pressure off ourselves. Thank you so much. And honestly, it's been an absolute pleasure. Yeah, I was honoured when I heard from you about coming on. And thank you for your podcast as well. Because it has, it really has helped me as well, particularly when Leah was younger and you're in those early days, you're exhausted. I've listened to lots of your podcasts. And yeah, I've been really helpful. That means a lot. Thank you for smiling. awkwardly on the other side of the screen but thank you so much there thank you so much take care thank you thank you for listening to today's episode of the therapy edit if you enjoyed

it please do share subscribe and review you can find more from me on instagram at anam arthur you might like to check out my two books called mind over mother and know you're worth i'm also the founder of the mothermind way, a platform full of guides, resources and a community with the sole focus on supporting mother's mental and emotional wellbeing. It's been lovely chatting with you. Speak soon.