Power-reversal games

Giving your child a sense of power and control through playful role reversals

At 18 months, my daughter was afraid of spiders. She was even scared of a purple rubbery spider toy whose legs had fallen off. All that was left of him was a round body and a smile. She called him ‘Bub-Bub’. My wife would take Bub-Bub and chase me around the room with it as I cried out in mock fear. Emboldened, my daughter would grab Bub-Bub and scuttle after me, laughing delightedly as I pretended to run away. This simple power-reversal game gave her the courage to face her fear in a safe and playful way.