Discover how short, daily, playful interactions with your kids can help them face their fears, handle big emotions, and bolster their social skills-by the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Whole-Brain Child and a renowned play therapist.

Most parents understand that unstructured play time is good for a child's attention span and creativity, but new science has discovered that specific, deliberate, playful interaction with parents is the key to their healthy emotional development and later resilience as well.

As Tina Payne Bryson and expert Georgie Wisen-Vincent explain, this doesn’t mean getting on all fours and making toy car sounds or enrolling a child in mommy-and-me classes; it's the daily, little moments together that can make the most impact. In The Way of Play, they detail the seven playful techniques that harness this caregiving magic and take just a few minutes. You'll learn how

• Leaning Into Emotions helps your child let go of anxieties, drama and chaotic behavior

• Tuning Into the Body teaches a child to practice the art of surfing sensory waves

• Storytelling promotes better problem solving

• Thinking Out Loud fosters calmer thinking and stronger communication with you, their siblings, and everyone else

Full of science-backed research, real-life stories, and charming line illustrations, The Way of Play will help parents nurture kids who are calm listeners, cooperative problem solvers, and respectful communicators. Just as important, they’ll help families have more fun together.

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Dr. Tina Payne Bryson is the author of The Bottom Line for Baby and co-author (with Dan Siegel) of two New York Times Best Sellers—The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline—each of which has been translated into over fifty languages, as well as The Yes Brain and The Power of Showing Up. She has just completed the manuscript for The Way of Play (Random House 2025), co-authored with Georgie Wisen-Vincent. Tina is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Connection, a multidisciplinary clinical practice in Southern California. She keynotes conferences and conducts workshops for parents, educators, and clinicians all over the world, and she frequently consults with schools, businesses, and other organizations.  An LCSW, Tina is a graduate of Baylor University with a Ph.D. from USC.  The most important part of her bio, she says, is that she’s a mom to her three boys. You can learn more about Tina at TinaBryson.com. 

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S, is a licensed child and adolescent psychotherapist who has focused her work on helping kids grow in confidence, character, and creativity using a child-centered approach to therapy. Georgie helped create and coordinate the Loma Linda University Play Therapy Certificate Program, and she now specializes in play and creative arts therapies for children from the early years to adolescence. She playfully incorporates creative media and open-ended activities thoughtfully designed to expand your child’s inherent ability to imagine exciting new solutions to childhood’s biggest hurdles.  You can learn more about Georgie at TheCenterforConnection.org.