What is P3?
The Playful Path to Parenting or the P3 project is a collaboration between the HEAL lab and the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC). The project's goal is two-fold: (1) to develop and evaluate a novel parent-centered play intervention to enhance playful parenting, and (2) to increase the access to innovative, research-informed parenting education for community families through the state-wide parenting education network. The project is led by Drs. Xiangyou Shen (PI) and Shauna Tominey (Co-PI), both affiliated with OSU's Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Family , and supported through the Sharon-Darling Innovation Fund by the National Center for Families Learning.
The P3 intervention integrates theory-based cognitive training and experimental games to expose parents/caregivers to practical strategies of incorporating small doses of play in parenting routines, and encourage the adoption of a playful approach that can be implemented across different parenting scenarios and extend to a broader set of life domains beyond parenting to impact caregiver's overall mental health and well-being.
The project is built on a pilot project--Playful Parent--that generated a research-informed intervention model and a set of free resources to support playful parenting (see below). Completed in 2023, Playful Parent was led by Drs. Xiangyou Shen (PI) and Megan MacDonald (Co-PI), and supported through the John C. Erkkila, M. D. Endowment for Health and Human Performance by the Samaritan Foundations.
The Playful Path to Parenting or the P3 project is a collaboration between the HEAL lab and the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC). The project's goal is two-fold: (1) to develop and evaluate a novel parent-centered play intervention to enhance playful parenting, and (2) to increase the access to innovative, research-informed parenting education for community families through the state-wide parenting education network. The project is led by Drs. Xiangyou Shen (PI) and Shauna Tominey (Co-PI), both affiliated with OSU's Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Family , and supported through the Sharon-Darling Innovation Fund by the National Center for Families Learning.
The P3 intervention integrates theory-based cognitive training and experimental games to expose parents/caregivers to practical strategies of incorporating small doses of play in parenting routines, and encourage the adoption of a playful approach that can be implemented across different parenting scenarios and extend to a broader set of life domains beyond parenting to impact caregiver's overall mental health and well-being.
The project is built on a pilot project--Playful Parent--that generated a research-informed intervention model and a set of free resources to support playful parenting (see below). Completed in 2023, Playful Parent was led by Drs. Xiangyou Shen (PI) and Megan MacDonald (Co-PI), and supported through the John C. Erkkila, M. D. Endowment for Health and Human Performance by the Samaritan Foundations.
Playful Parent Play Books
Introducing our free Play Books, designed to support and enhance playful parenting practices. These four Play Books, linked below, are the first set of resources developed by our research team through the innovative Playful Parent pilot project. Although these resources are associated with our program, they offer valuable insights and activities that can be beneficial to all parents and caregivers, regardless of their participation in the project.
Each Play Book features a unique take-home activity related to the Playful Parent pilot program, along with a curated selection of play ideas, strategies, and resources. These materials are crafted to support the intentional practice of specific themes, such as:
Special thanks are extended to Marieke Dailey, HEAL undergraduate student researcher, for her talented assistance in creating these Play Books.
Please check back for updates as our research team continues to develop more resources to support playful parenting.
Introducing our free Play Books, designed to support and enhance playful parenting practices. These four Play Books, linked below, are the first set of resources developed by our research team through the innovative Playful Parent pilot project. Although these resources are associated with our program, they offer valuable insights and activities that can be beneficial to all parents and caregivers, regardless of their participation in the project.
Each Play Book features a unique take-home activity related to the Playful Parent pilot program, along with a curated selection of play ideas, strategies, and resources. These materials are crafted to support the intentional practice of specific themes, such as:
- Establishing a quality parent-child play routine
- Using play to build stronger connections
- Playfully reframing challenging parenting situations
- Incorporating spontaneity and experimentation into parenting approaches
Special thanks are extended to Marieke Dailey, HEAL undergraduate student researcher, for her talented assistance in creating these Play Books.
Please check back for updates as our research team continues to develop more resources to support playful parenting.