Katie Piper admits she’s not really the sort of mum to get down on the floor and roar like a dinosaur to entertain her kids. Nevertheless, she’s not going to let her dinosaur inhibitions affect playtime fun – and she’s on a mission to get other parents to make the most of play too.
New research by Disney has found 60% of parents of children under 12 have ‘forgotten’ how to use their imagination when it comes to play, with 45% saying family life is too busy, and more than three-quarters (77%) admitting they feel uninspired and lost when it comes to planning ways to play.
So presenter and author Piper is helping Disney launch their new The Gift of Play campaign to encourage adults and children to have more shared imaginative playtime together by providing a series of free videos and a handbook packed with imaginative play ideas.
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“As we get older and life gets more serious and we have lots of responsibilities, it’s really easy to forget how to be playful and how to have fun, and that can be a real barrier to playing with your children,” says the mum-of-two.
“So many of us don’t just want our children to watch telly or be on devices 100% of the time, but when it comes to getting down on the floor with toys, or doing imaginative play, our mind goes a bit blank to know where to begin.
“Like any adult I’m like, ‘Oooh, I’m not very good at this, I don’t know what to do!’. Some people can just get on the floor and start acting like a dinosaur and roaring, but I’m more of a mum that does art and craft, cooking and reading. But having a Disney prompt and some ideas has helped me shake off feeling a bit silly and not really knowing what to do.”
The Loose Women panellist, 38, who had to have her face rebuilt after she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice in 2008, is mum to Penelope, aged four, who likes to be known as Pea or PeaPea, and Belle, aged eight. Piper, who doesn’t like her daughters’ faces to be shown on public photographs, says the girls love making things up and role playing, where they pretend to be adults like teachers or doctors, as well as playing with little figurines, which they always do with an American accent.
She says: “I think, to be honest, there’s something to be had for the adults in all of this. My kids have no problem exercising their imagination, it comes naturally to them, and when I do get involved, even at the beginning when there’s a lack of confidence knowing what to do in make-believe, I find I benefit and it starts stimulating my imagination, which is really good for you as an adult.
“Imaginative play has all these positive effects on children, and you can reinforce positive messages through it. It doesn’t have to be that you’re sitting down teaching children something – imaginative play gives us the space to explore different roles and identities, to be who we want to be and have dreams, hopes and ambitions.”
Like the vast majority of kids, Piper’s girls love to play on electronic devices as well as with toys, and their mum says tech is fine – in moderation. “I don’t want to shame any parent and I think devices do have a place in children’s lives.
“It’s all about balance – my eldest is school-age and they use devices at school and for homework, and for lots of parents it’s really handy for kids to use them when they’re travelling on planes, trains and so on, and I don’t think you should place a judgement on people for that. But there are other ways to engage with your kids – as with anything in life, it’s about balance.”
But with such a busy life in the public eye, how does she balance playing and looking after her girls with work?
“I use the word balance a lot, but in our house I think it’s more like juggle,” she says. “There’s more pressure on parents than ever to work, and I think you have to carve out time that suits your family schedule, and not put pressure on yourself.
“Saying you’ve got to play with your kids every single day just isn’t achievable for a lot of people, and I think there might be times when you’re on a work call and the kids go on an app or a device and it’s absolutely fine. And then there might be lovely lazy Sundays when you all stay in your pyjamas and you have a lovely morning playing and it fits your schedule. I think it’s finding what works for you, and not comparing yourself to other families.”
Piper has written a number of books for adults about her own experiences, confidence, resilience, and life affirmations, and she’s currently writing her first children’s book, All You Need, which is out early next year. It’s for three to five-year-olds, and is aimed at teaching them about all the things they truly need. “They’re not material things, they’re not focused on the way you look, they’re qualities in your personality,” she explains.
“I’ve been writing books for a long time now, and they’ve always been adult self-help books, and since I’ve become a mum my life has changed a lot.
“We read bedtime stories every night, and I thought it would be really nice to carry this sentiment that I talk about in my books for adults, around confidence and appearance, into a more child-appropriate book, so my kids can share that message as well. It’s really exciting for me.
“It’s a valuable message, and the younger you reinforce positive messages that explain to children their mindset is within their control the better – I don’t think it can ever be a bad thing.”
Katie Piper has teamed up with Disney to launch their new The Gift of Play (disneythegiftofplay.co.uk) campaign, providing tips to inspire families to spend more time playing imaginatively together.
