WHY CHILDREN NEED TO PLAY

As a child play therapist, I agree with noted child psychologists throughout the world that play is as important for children’s happiness and well-being as being loved, eating and sleeping.

WHAT IS PLAY?

Play Room Section of Office

Play for children is engagement in enjoyable activities that expands knowledge and self-awareness about themselves and others in their world while relieving uncomfortable feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, anger etc. By engaging in play, children work out difficult feelings, interpersonal relationships, experiences and situations.

WHAT IS CHILD PLAY THERAPY?

Play therapy is the art of engaging a child in the arena of play where the child feels most comfortable and familiar. There children can master and grow beyond overwhelming situations and experiences. Play allows the child to put their internal world of emotions and cognitions into a “symbolic” (Irwin 1983) arena where they can speak their mind and express negative feelings in a safe and permissible environment. Play therapist believes “a child can use the media of play to work out problems or they will act out their problems.” Play therapy often unconsciously plays out difficult situation using metaphorical stories and play. My approach is an integrated approach using both directive and indirect means of accessing the child’s thinking, feelings and behavior.

WHAT TOOLS ARE USED IN PLAY THERAPY?

Play therapy area

Play therapy tools are as vast and numerous as there are children. In general, they fall into several different categories:

ARTS & CRAFTS: Examples of the various forms of art media provided for Play Therapy:

• Clay, Play-doh, Oogle clay along with pounding, rolling, punching equipment and various cookie cutter instruments
• Crayons, colored pencils, paint, finger paint, chalk, markers, used on paper, white board, black board, etc to draw figures, pictures and array of colors that expresses unspoken feeling, thoughts, behaviors and situations or experiences Collagesmade using drawings, letters, words and pictures, etc
• Crafts made using beads of all shapes and sizes and colors, multicolored cotton balls, pipe cleaners, etc
• Flannel Board – flannel animals, people, environments

ROLE PLAYING TOYS

• Dolls & Play Homes – i.e. Crib, dolls, baby clothes, play kitchen with dishes, play food, etc
• Doll Houses – furnished with furniture for various rooms, people, etc
• Dress Up Items –Family & Professional Clothes to role play various people in child’s life – hats, helmets, purses, shoes to

THERAPEUTIC GAMES: card games, checkers, etc

BLOCKS: various sizes and shapes

SAND PLAY: Sand box with sand, digging tools and various containers – Useful for younger children to self soothe

SAND TRAY THERAPY: Miniature figures such as typical family members, professionals, soldiers, pirates, etc various types of motor vehicles – provided for creating scenes in sandbox (particularly useful when working pubescent children, adolescents and some adults

BOOKS: reading books, coloring books, work books
HAND AND FINGER PUPPETS: different animals and people in families, professions, etc

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