The Playful Healing Cards are a 50 card deck that were inspired to bring together strategies and tools for building life skills. I have worked supporting children in often stressful environments and learnt a range of strategies to help them co-regulate and learn coping strategies. These strategies were put in the card format to make them accessible in an appealing and fun way. This is a limited edition print run.
Play and a mindfully present parent/caregiver helps to support the developmental needs of children. As a responsive and supportive adult we can use playful relating to help the children in our care to learn and name sensations, release emotions, and learn to co-regulate. To help children learn co-regulation we as adults must know how to regulate ourselves. The strategies are also for adults so as to be able hold a state of calm and relaxation.
The cards use beautiful images of children at play outside in nature where play can be used as connection for finding a sense of self, sense of belonging in the world, expressing and releasing emotions safely, respect for their environment, finding movement in the body, and building resources. If we help to build these in our children they can carry them into adulthood. The images on the cards show diversity and gender equity.
The cards are designed for children and families, playgroup facilitators, maternal child health nurses, student wellbeing, therapists, social workers, psychologists, creative arts therapists and play therapists. I also recommend the cards for inner child work to support regulation and co-regulation if it’s a skill you are still mastering. We are never too old to learn and to play!