Let’s play a game! The roll of play in therapy.
Parent: “How was your session today?”
Child: “We played games for the entire time!”
Play is an important part of my approach to integrative therapy. Sometimes parents ask me why their child says that “We played games for the entire time!”.
Play is a beautiful and fun way to support healthy psycho-social development in your child.
Let me highlight some of the most important aspects of Play Therapy:
There are different types of play. Board or card games are rule-based games, whereas playing make-believe and dress up are examples of free play.
For children free play is a way with which they communicate, they can face new experiences, process events, try and learn new ways of thinking and feeling as well as practice new behaviours.
Free play is a great way of learning for children, as they are highly motivated. Play can be used as an additional therapeutic method allowing for autonomous self-development in a child.
The following are some benefits of free play as well as rule-based board or card games:
When playing children can build up their own individual identity, their sense of self. This occurs when they try different identities sometimes literally putting on different hats.
During play, children practice to put themselves in other peoples shoes, how the other character may think or feel (metacognition & empathy).
Children can practice their social skills when faced with a dilemma in play. They practice using perspective-taking and problem-solving skills (Theory of Mind).
Problem-solving requires creativity. In Make-Believe Play and in arts and crafts creativity is utilised and makes it easier to transfer this style of thinking to other situations.
During play we can encourage children to utilise their strengths, to find out what they are good at as well as foster self-acceptance of weaknesses.
Play is a medium that can help to create distance between oneself and negative experiences (externalising and psychological decentering) which allows for processing of such experiences, thus reducing symptoms.
Successful coping within play can then be translated into reality as the child feels a sense of orientation, accomplishment and security.
Playing together with your child helps them feel seen and feel important. Playing together builds strong positive relationships.
In play children can practice identifying emotions within self and others and learn healthy ways of expressing and regulating them.
Children practice and learn recognising, understanding and remembering specific rules and how to adjust their behaviours accordingly.
Rule based games allow children to learn and to practice communication and behaviour that leads to expected and desired outcomes.
This in turn increases their confidence in their ability to influence their own environment (self-efficacy).
Board games can create a safe atmosphere in which children learn how to tolerate and regulate negative emotions such as frustration, anger or sadness, for example when losing. When winning, successes are celebrated further increasing self-worth.
Throughout the entire process of play the adult functions as mirror and a model of behaviour.
Take Home Message:
Take some time out of your day to play with your child.
Let your child take control and decide what and how to play.
Let go and have a lot of fun!!!
