Amy Cox knows only too well how overwhelming parenting can be. With four children of her own, it took her by surprise how this affected her ability to do the kind of fun, hands-on activities with them that she had delivered to hundreds of students during her teaching career. It was during these hazy times that she wished someone had been able to walk her through simple play ideas. Through her business, Playful Families, she is now on a mission to help overwhelmed mums and empower them to choose their own playful path.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Before I had my four children, I was a passionate, research-driven, playful and creative teacher. Helping young children discover the joy and love of learning was my vocation and my work was honoured with a couple of education awards, including an Australia-wide award for Innovative Curriculum.
My husband and I lived and worked in China in 2009 where we were both teachers at an International School. Working with 3-5-year-old children with English as their second (or even third!) language was such an incredible and eye-opening experience. Despite the fact that all the children came from different countries, with different language, culture and backgrounds, there was a universal language that united them all. They ALL innately knew it – it wasn’t something I had to teach: it was the language of play! It was in this year that my advocacy for play truly took seed as through it, I saw these amazing children’s skills blossom.
I knew I wanted to help families, schools and the wider community truly see the value and role of play in our lives. I knew I wanted to find the research to demonstrate the incredible impact it has on our wellbeing and relationships. My business was literally born from this curiosity of the science of play, interpersonal neurobiology, securely attached relationships and the drive for self-actualisation.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
On my third round of maternity leave in 2014 (when I had three kids under the age of three), I began dreaming of creating a business where my passion for education, play and developmental neurobiology intersected. I wanted to advocate for a child’s right to play, provide information around WHY it’s important as well as HOW this looks in action. My mother suffers with serious mental health issues and I knew that parental self-awareness and care needed to feature alongside my advocacy for play.
I launched the first iteration of my business selling physical packs of items to promote play and tips for parents in 2014 (with 3 kids under 3 and teaching part time). It was in this year that I learnt SO MANY hard lessons around being a business owner, the radical identity shift and transformation we go through as mothers and the juggle between following your passions and providing for your family. I closed this business when we moved to the Pilbara in 2016 when we had 4 children under 5. My curious exploration and research continued after that and has led to the creation of Playful Families in its current form.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
In late 2018, I took my business online and launched Play Squad, my online membership. In this group, I share my passionate advocacy for play as well as research-backed strategies that empowers parents to come home to themselves and support their young children’s developing brains through play. Working with families in this way was so insightful, and sparked my curiosity in so many ways!
In early 2020, my group experience, The Smile Connection, was born. Researching, creating and launching this program has been the biggest breakthrough for my business, and I have recently won four national awards for it! My unique and research-supported processes have helped and supported families to find their flow, ditch the unrealistic expectations of family life that curated social media can portray and discover the JOY in parenting by leaning in to the unique dynamic of their family. It has led me to discover matrescence, the identity shift that occurs when a woman becomes a mother, and how important parental self-awareness and securely attached relationships are on a child’s ability to thrive. I am in love with my work!
