What Does 'Play’ and ‘Connect’ Mean?

What Does 'Play’ and ‘Connect’ Mean?

Whether you’re a frequent visitor to our website and social media (we’re glad to see you again) or a new friend who has simply stumbled upon us today (hello!) – you’ll find we talk about ‘play’ and ‘connect’ A LOT.

As parents ourselves, we know there’s heaps of information on what playing and connecting is. From your friends, to relatives, your local kindergarten teacher, and the barista at your coffee shop – both of these words can mean different things.

They are a big part of our Bueno Blocks world. So, we want to share what they mean to us, with you.

Let’s talk about ‘play’ first.

A young girl with a stick in her mouth smiling cheekily while reaching for some wooden toys laid on the grass

Play = any activity freely chosen by our little ones.

And activities? Well, they can be literally anything. The only limit is your child’s imagination! From stacking blocks, to collecting flowers, pretending to be a chef, and playing in the sprinkler on a hot day.

We think that the best part of our approach to play is this: it is driven out of pure JOY by our little ones.

Think about it – if our children didn’t *want* to pick up a little notepad, walk over to us, say (as best they can) “what would you like for breakfast today?”, scribble “eggs and toast” and then proceed to pretend to cook it… they wouldn’t!

At Bueno Blocks, we think that is SO special. By freely letting our little ones decide, we give them the opportunity to dream big and create their own joy through play.

Let’s dive into what ‘connect’ means at Bueno Blocks.

The back view of a father hand holding his young daughter while walking in a park
Connect = when both child and parent are present, and intentionally engaged, whatever that looks like.

Presence is powerful. It’s also hard. We know some of you have full-time jobs, are full-time/part-time carers and educators, and some of you are full-time stay-at-home parents!

Regardless of what you do, when you become a parent, there’s one thing we can agree upon: our little ones become the center of our world.

And to genuinely connect with them? It simply requires us to be *in* the moment with them, at any time. One of the opportunities to do so – is through play.

We say this with understanding and kindness for the realities of being a parent.

Because our little ones’ minds do not have competing thoughts from “what am I cooking for dinner tonight?” to “did I send that email?” and “what time is the cleaner coming tomorrow?” Which means that for them, connecting with you … is quite easy!

But for you – this will be a little bit trickier (we’re speaking from experience here!).

Although it’s hard, we 100% believe in this: the higher our presence and engagement with our little ones, the stronger the connection will be.

If you’ve read this far, we’re so grateful and we hope this has helped expand your perspective on the words ‘play’ and ‘connect’.

We have an inkling that you may want some further support with both of these…

We’re launching a “Play & Connect” container that will give you insight on the Bueno Blocks’ approach. The program will walk you through tangible activities, so you feel empowered to play and connect with your little ones.

Sign up for the waitlist here.

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