Why You Find It So Hard To Play, And What To Do About It

Motherkind

Zoe Blaskey

Kids & Family, Parenting

4.8 • 863 Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the thing you feel you have least time for… is actually the thing that would help you cope the most? In this powerful Motherkind Moment, Zoe is joined by play expert Emma Worrollo, who makes a compelling and surprising case for why playfulness isn’t frivolous, it’s foundational. Because when you’re carrying the mental load, juggling work, and just trying to get through the day, “have more fun” can feel like the most unrealistic advice in the world. But this isn’t about adding more to your to-do list. Emma explains why playfulness isn’t about being silly, extroverted, or endlessly positive. It’s something far more powerful - a deeply human skill that helps us become more resilient, more flexible, and better at navigating the challenges of motherhood. In this conversation, you’ll learn why so many of us feel like we’ve “forgotten how to play”, why that’s completely normal, and how to bring small moments of lightness back into even the busiest days. Because play isn’t just for children. It’s for you, too. . Why playfulness is directly linked to resilience, problem-solving and emotional well-being . The difference between play and playfulness (and why this changes everything) . Why feeling awkward or “bad” at playing with your kids is completely normal . Simple, realistic ways to bring more lightness into everyday motherhood Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode? Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. If you enjoyed this Moment, you can listen to the full episode here: The Power of Play with Emma Worrollo Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: . Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok . Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: . Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. . Start your children’s reading journey with Usbourne Books . Sign up for your one-pound-per-month trial today at shopify.co.uk/motherkind What you’ll take from this Moment:For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by Osborne Books. I read non-stop to my girls when they were little,
0:07.1	and I have to say now they're 10 and 6. They are both avid readers. I really believe it's never too
0:13.2	early to start reading to your little ones. Osbournes don't tickle, touchy, feely soundbooks are
0:19.5	perfect to start their love of books. With a sound to
0:23.7	discover as you press each touchy-feely patch, these books are full of surprises for babies and
0:29.4	toddlers and even have music at the end. From dinosaurs and ducks to unicorns and tigers,
0:34.2	there are over 20 books to choose from, including the latest book, Don't Tickle the Donkey. As well as providing lots of fun and giggles, the books also support
0:43.4	sensory development. Start their reading journey with Don't Tickle Touchy, Feeley Sound Books,
0:49.8	available from all good booksellers.
0:56.7	Welcome to this Motherkind moment clip. It is Monday, which means this is your place for a little shot of inspiration and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.
1:07.2	This week's moment comes from Emma Worello, one of the world's leading play culture researchers.
1:13.9	And in this clip, Emma breaks down why we can find it so hard to play with our children and the
1:18.8	exact things that we need to do to change that. I love Emma. I love her energy. I love her
1:25.4	perspective. Here it is. I am someone that's like very
1:31.5	well researched in the sort of science of play. And it would seem that there is definitely some
1:38.4	kind of link between those two things. We have quite good research now that shows that people who have a high
1:46.0	quality of the characteristics of playfulness tend to be more resilient. They tend to be quite good
1:54.5	at solving problems. They generally have a sort of sense of everything's kind of, you know,
2:00.5	figure outable.
2:02.3	Yeah, and I think it's so interesting that because like you say, we do just completely
2:06.8	deprioritise it. As you say, I've talked about almost every topic on Motherkind and not
2:12.7	really yet sort of play and fun. So when you do that research and you know you've i know you're like
	...

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