Why parent-child playful interactions mean so much more than fun and games

Parenthood today is radically different today from what it was 50 years ago.

Women’s steadily increasing participation in the workforce and fathers’ greater involvement in daily family routines have reshaped Canadian families.

The proportion of Canadian fathers providing care to their children increased from around 30 per cent to 50 per cent over a period of 30 years, with fathers contributing an average of more than four hours of care per day, according to the 2022 census .

At the same time, parenting is increasingly shaped by the omnipresence of smartphones — something known as technoference , or the disruptive effect of technology on social relationships.

At a time when digital distractions increasingly interfere with parents’ bonds with their children, recognizing the developmental value of playful interactions is important.

Read more: In Toy Story 5, it’s tech versus toys — something families are grappling with Physically present, on phones Recent evidence suggests that even when parents are physically present with their children, a substantial portion of that time is spent on smartphones.

For example, a study from the United States found that for every hour parents of infants spent with their child, approximately 16 minutes were spent on their phones.

A 2025 Canadian report discussed this and other recent research, and stressed the significance of preserving daily interaction without digital distractions.

These societal and technological changes have renewed research interest in parenting, especially the quality of direct interactions with children.

The concept of parenting has expanded, and is no longer bound by a mother-centric view (where mothers uniquely are understood to be in a nurturing and comforting role).

Instead, parenting now reflects both parents being actively involved in child-rearing activities.

This has encouraged scholars to examine a greater variety of parenting behaviours, including parental playfulness.

Playful moments One may wonder why we should care about play if it’s regarded just as entertainment or seen to distract kids from what is important (like learning the alphabet).

Since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) , access to play and leisure has been recognized as a fundamental children’s right, and significant on its own.