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Play Therapy: How to Help Kids Express Themselves!

“Play therapy.” Not long ago, these words would have meant very little to most adults, but today’s parents are increasingly aware of the phrase and how this method of communication can be invaluable to their children. Play therapy is to children what professional counseling is to adults. 

Though it’s primarily intended for young children, play therapy has proven beneficial to adolescents and families as well. A wide range of childhood difficulties – such as separation anxiety, behavioral problems, depression and even severe trauma – can be treated through play therapy.
    
The premise is simple: Play is a child’s most natural way to communicate. You can sit a child down and ask, “What’s wrong?” But you probably won’t get very far. Even if a child can articulate his feelings, the experience of discussing them under scrutiny is often met with resistance. 
    
This is because a child's primary language is not verbal. Instead, toys are their words, and play is their language. Play therapy works because it gives children an opportunity to make sense of their thoughts, feelings and experiences in a way that is comfortable and non-threatening.
    
There is a growing effort in the play therapy community to teach parents how to select and use toys with their children to foster their social and emotional growth. In fact, research indicates that when parents learn to play with their children using specific toys, they are able to help their kids have better relationships, increased self-esteem and more appropriate behavior.
    
But to do this effectively, parents have to select the right toys. As a well-known play therapist, Dr. Garry Landreth, once said, “Toys should be selected, not collected.” 
    
For many parents, this is a foreign concept. So how can parents know which toys are best for their child’s social and emotional development? Here are a few basic guidelines to consider:  

Keep it simple: Many adults like bells and whistles, but one of the priceless qualities possessed by children is a genuine appreciation for the simple things. They don’t need fancy toys, which can actually inhibit their creativity and their ability to express themselves through play. 
    
Try to find basic toys that can be used for more than one purpose, such as art supplies and craft materials. For example, children can use something as basic as silly putty to squish to release stress, or shape and mold into their own unique masterpiece.

Buy “True Toys”: True toys, such as dolls, blocks and medical kits, can help children develop socially, cognitively and physically. Children can use them to make sense of what they experience in life, such as dealing with the birth of a new sibling, moving to a new house or getting sick. In contrast, passive toys simply entertain children and don’t facilitate their growth.
    
Many of the flashy high-tech toys that require batteries, remote controls and other electronic parts are considered passive. These toys are not bad and certainly have value in their own right, but they don’t facilitate the same kind of play and development as true toys.  

“Play with me!” Children spontaneously play and often invite others to join them, but not all toys welcome other people. In fact, some toys encourage solitary play or isolation. Try to have toys that encourage relationships. This can be as simple as a pickup truck or bucket for the sandbox, because your child may invite you or other kids to help fill them and build a sandcastle. 
    
There are many parents who simply don’t enjoy playing with their children. If you are one of them, don’t worry. Research shows that playing with your children for just 30 minutes each week can help improve their behavior and your relationship with them! 
    
For more information about the value of play, toys and play therapy, visit: morethanatoy.com.

VALUABLE TOOLS
Try using these toys to encourage play therapy:

• Small baby doll 
• Nursing bottle 
• Doctor kit 
• Toy phones 
• Small dollhouse 
• Doll family 
• Play money 
• Plastic animals 
• Car or truck 
• Pretend food with dishes and utensils
• Puppets  
• Dart gun 
• Rope 
• Aggressive animal figurines (i.e. lion) 
• Small toy soldiers 
• Inflatable bop bag 
• Police hat and handcuffs
• Play-Doh 
• Crayons and markers 
• Plain paper 
• Musical instruments