Episode 341: Why Your Kids Need You To Play at Every Age and How To Do That with Whitney and Alex Kimerling

Raising Boys & Girls

That Sounds Fun Network

Kids & Family, Parenting, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sissy Goff and David Thomas explore the powerful, research-backed role of play in reducing anxiety, building resilience, and strengthening family connection. They unpack why unstructured play has declined, how play shapes kids’ brains and emotional health, and why adults need play just as much as kids do. The conversation offers five practical ways to bring play back into everyday family life—without pressure or perfection—and culminates in a joyful interview with Alex and Whitney Kimerling of Hootenanny Games, who share how screen-free games foster connection, confidence, and core memories across generations. . . . . . . Sign up to receive the⁠ bi-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠monthly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Access Raising Boys and Girls courses here! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠raisingboysandgirls.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience⁠ ⁠Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage⁠⁠ . . . . . . If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form. QUINCE: Go to ⁠Quince.com/rbg⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg⁠. Exclusions apply. ATHLETIC GREENS: Go to DRINKAG1.com/RBG to get their best offer… For a limited time only, get a FREE AG1 duffel bag and FREE AG1 Welcome Kit with your first subscription order! Only while supplies last. COOK UNITY: Go to cookunity.com/RBG or enter code RBG before checkout to get 50% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Packages by Expedia.
0:02.0	You were made to occasionally take the hard route to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
0:07.0	We were made to easily bundle your trip.
0:10.0	Expedia, made to travel.
0:12.0	Flight inclusive packages are at all protected.
0:15.0	Hey friends. Hey, friends, welcome to the Raising Boys and Girls podcast.
0:27.4	I'm Sissy Goff.
0:28.5	And I'm David Thomas, and we're so glad you've joined us for this conversation.
0:33.2	Let's dive in.
0:39.8	In the midst of this conversation about what kids need right now,
0:45.7	we are so excited about this talk because this is something that's not talked about a lot in the lives of kids.
0:53.6	And I think something that's not talked about a lot in the lives of kids. And I think something that is
0:56.3	especially hard for parents. And if we were going to go back to our endocram series, maybe even
1:02.4	harder for certain numbers. We won't name any names. But in the midst of talking so much to about anxiety, you all, ours are kids and the worry that
1:16.5	settles collectively into all of our homes today. We want to focus on something surprisingly
1:23.2	powerful that fights anxiety, builds resilience, strengthens families, and brings back joy. You ready for it?
1:33.9	Play. The research keeps confirming what we have seen in our counseling offices for three decades.
1:41.4	Play is essential, not extra, and yet families are playing less than ever. So today, we're
1:48.9	going to talk about what play does for kids, what it does for us as parents, why it transforms
1:56.4	relationships, and five simple ways to bring more play back into your home.
2:02.7	All right. So you ready? Let's talk about the decline of play and why it matters.
2:07.7	So free unstructured play has steadily declined for decades. More structured environments, more adult
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from That Sounds Fun Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of That Sounds Fun Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.