Student Wellbeing

Flourishing through play

In the counselling space, our guiding focus is Wellbeing for Learning, the idea that students need to be well to learn effectively. As educators, parents and guardians, we all have priorities that shape our approach to student success. Take a moment to reflect on what you value most.

Research by VanderWeele and Case (2020) highlights school-based practices that promote academic flourishing. Surprisingly, the most impactful elements weren’t intensive academic interventions, but rather moments of joy and connection: laughing with peers, playful experiences, activities that build relationships, and teachers using humour. These practices, even when used just once a month, made a measurable difference.

Interestingly, flourishing scores declined as students progressed through high school (Years 7–12), and were consistently higher in boys than girls. This invites us to consider how we might intentionally embed playfulness and community-building throughout the school year, not just in the first few weeks.

In the Home

Beyond the classroom, family bonding through play is vital for healthy physical, social, and emotional development. Research from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne found a gap in parental awareness, particularly among metropolitan and male caregivers, about the importance of parent-child play.

Proverbs 17:22 reminds us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine,” we see that truth play out when kids laugh, play, and feel safe with the people who love them.

One powerful form of play is Rough and Tumble: wrestling, chasing, tickling, tumbling, and mock fighting. While it may raise eyebrows (especially when your child announces their love for “wrestles” or “bashing and crashing” as my Elise did at Kindergarten), the benefits are profound:

• Learning safe boundaries
• Regulating emotions like excitement and frustration
• Building trust and secure attachment
• Exploring competition and cooperation
• Developing coordination and strength

As adults, our role is to guide play safely, model empathy, fairness, and emotional regulation. Let your child “win” sometimes to build confidence and always establish a clear exit strategy. For example: “If you want to stop, I’ll stop. If I want to stop, you’ll stop.” I often use, “20 seconds and it’s game over,” counting aloud and ending on a mutual or positive note. S-T-O-P actually makes a great acronym for: Stop, Take a breath, Observe how we are feeling, Proceed.

Big emotions may still arise, but they become opportunities for connection, regulation, and growth. And most importantly, your children will love it.

From a Parent-Child Therapy perspective, play is not just fun; it’s foundational. It becomes a language of connection, repair, and emotional attunement. Therapists often use play to help children express feelings, build resilience, and strengthen the parent-child bond. When parents engage in play with warmth, responsiveness, and structure, they foster secure attachment and emotional safety, key ingredients for lifelong wellbeing.

Making time for our children can be challenging in the busyness of life, but I encourage you to remember Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me… for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Children matter deeply to God, and so does the way we nurture them.

Jordan Wheatcroft

Student Wellbeing Counsellor - Brooklyn Park 

VanderWeele, T. J., & Case, B. (2020). Academic Flourishing and Student Formation. Harvard University. Retrieved from https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8886/files/2025-05/AcademicFlourishing_IJW.pdf