The Benefits of Play-based and Child-Led Therapy
Have you ever had something super interesting to you and no one with whom to talk about it? Or you want to talk about your day but all your kid wants to talk about is bubbles and your spouse wants to talk about cars. We all want to talk about the things that interest us, right?
Following a child’s lead means observing what they are physically close to, what they are holding, what they are looking at, and potentially what noises are they making. Sometimes this engages us to stop, slow down, and listen to what our children are trying to tell us. We all want to talk about our interests: let’s figure out what your child’s interests are, and TALK ABOUT THEM! Meaningful learning happens through connection, engagement and authentic participation.
“Play is the work of children.” - Maria Montessori. There are a lot of misconceptions about play therapy, many of which say “it doesn’t look like work, how can this be work?” Well, if you have to exercise but you enjoy Golf, you can get your exercise done while you’re having fun. This same philosophy applies; there can be a specific goal we are working on that can be worked on while the child is playing.
Examples
Building with blocks while targeting language and problem-solving skills.
Pretend play that supports narrative language and social communication.
Sensory play that encourages interaction, vocabulary development, and regulation.
Outdoor play that promotes communication, turn-taking, and joint attention.
Many great minds in child development research, like Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, believed that children learn through play and through how they manipulate and use objects. Play benefits so many aspects of child development. Play provides childrenn with opportunities to learn about and master relationships, problem solving, language, math, science, and their bodies.
In the UK, researchers at the University of Oxford tested a 20-week enrichment program, which combined guided play with shared book reading. Children who had guided-play lessons made 1.5 times the progress in language development compared to peers in the control sample; the kids that had guided-play lessons gained about 7-8 months of growth in just 20 weeks.
In Finland, research from the University of Helsinki found that teachers who deliberately integrated playful teaching and playful language created more inclusive environments where the students were motivated to talk and participate. Especially in multilingual classrooms, play helped bridge the gap between languages. It is something all children can do - and there’s no wrong way to play.
So get on their level, literally! Get on the floor. Bring a few toys out. Start to narrate what the child is doing. Add some sound effects. Then pause, and wait. See if your child offers anything. Continue to play, keep the pressure low, and have fun. It also allows for individual differences between students without a “one-size-fits-all” style of treatment. Skilled clinicians intentionally embed goals into play. Play encourages generalization of goals because skills learned in meaningful contexts are more likely to transfer to everyday situations. Therapeutic strategies can be used within child-led activities. No matter the interest, there is always language available to use.
Play is a powerful context for learning, communication, and connection. A child-led approach honor’s children’s strengths, interests, and autonomy. I encourage you to examine your view of play: to view play not as a break from learning, but as one of the most effective ways children learn.