Sunny Day Therapy's Blog- Helping Children & Caregivers Shine, Do, and Thrive

Developmental pediatrician Richard Solomon, creator of the PLAY Project, says “Research shows that young children learn best through play and relationships with others. Play improves the child’s social functioning.”

So what makes play so great? Play allows children to try out roles and interact with each other in a fun environment without the social pressures of having to do something a certain way with strict rules or a serious environment. Play allows children to explore; hands-on sensory play gives children proprioceptive input (input to their joints) which increases awareness of body in space. By engaging in the movement, children are building muscles.  By mastering skills like building legos, children are learning problem solving and releasing happy neurotransmitters (like dopamine) in celebration of their success. This can lead to future motivation and curiosity.  

Some of the best play activities don’t require anything fancy or even technology.  Give a child some everyday items like boxes, books, or toilet paper rolls and let their imagination run wild.  

While high-play like the IPAD may provide cognitive learning, kids need a balance of other activities that exercise their bodies.   Create balance with some social time and some alone time.

Sometimes kids can become overwhelmed by too many toys.  Serial presentation and then clean up of one toy at a time or a visual schedule can help kids know what to expect.  First and then next language can help set up expectations and reinforcers: First work and then play.  Make any signs multi-sensory such as using a visual stop sign or making a fun red light, yellow light, green light game to turn required activities like clean-up time into a game.  

Tap into your child’s senses and interests. If they like cars, why not make chores a “race”?  If they like Paw patrol, why not make meal time a themed game featuring their favorite pups trying out pup food?  

Promote fine motor skills by placing games like a drawing game or race on paper on the wall.  The vertical positioning will build hand strength. 

Floor time, a popular therapy method, involves carefully listening to and imitating what your child is doing. You can respond to their play by imitating it and then adding a piece of the story to the play. If they call you on the phone, you pretend to answer and laugh. If they pretend to drive, join in and throw on the breaks and get out of the car.  Pretend like you are part of the same story as your child and get down on their level and join in the fun.  While you are there, you can model being a good friend by sharing, kind words, and turn taking.

Play can be a tool for promoting both physical and mental strength; while a kid might not want to try a new medicine, the kid might pretend to give the medicine to their doll.  Kids can pretend to help, play teacher, host a party, or even act out their fears… all through play.  Play can be safe, silly, and educational. Sprinkle your play with music, with stretches, and with games.  Through diversity of play, you can exercise many parts of the brain. Your child can get a spice of science, a dose of writing, a dash of cooking all while playing with friends… that makes a well, rounded resilient mind… ready to problem solve when challenges occur and equipped with choices to help them decide someday who they want to be— not just as a career but what type of person they want to be. 

Happy playing.