How Play Therapy Can Benefit Kids

Protecting the planet from an alien invasion. Pretending that the carpet is actually hot lava. Constructing an entire city for your toys to explore. Play is a chance for children to exercise their imaginations and think in creative ways. Since every child spends time playing, kids usually aren’t aware of the way that play is helping them build and develop skills that they’ll use throughout their lives.

Play plays a crucial role in childhood development. It’s a way to have fun and connect with other kids, but it also provides numerous cognitive benefits. When kids play, they have the chance to get out the thoughts that are inside their head. It’s a safe way to experiment and try out new things. It can be particularly beneficial for children with special needs or kids that struggle with anxiety. This is one of the reasons that the therapists at Clarityclinic.com use play therapy to connect with the children that they work with. Blocks, puppets, art supplies, and other toys can all help kids to play and express themselves.

How Play Therapy Helps Children

Cognitive Benefits

As children explore the world around them, they learn new concepts. By absorbing information and interacting with objects, they can make discoveries and think about things in new ways. This can strengthen memory, improve attention spans, build self control and enhance decision-making skills. During play sessions, children will develop and execute plans, solve problems through critical thinking, and rely on their reasoning skills.

It Exercises the Imagination

Creativity is an important part of problem-solving. When children play, they flex their creative muscles and come up with brand-new scenarios. It’s a way for kids to think in new ways and find new approaches to problems. For example, if a villain returns to attack a city, the hero will have to come up with a way to keep the villain from coming back.

Building Social Skills

Anything can happen when a group of children play together. Group play sessions are a chance for kids to collaborate and share with others. Kids will need to consider other people’s feelings and communicate their own needs to others. Group play can help kids build listening skills. It provides opportunities for compromise and group-problem solving.

It’s a Way to Express Emotions

When children play, they can express any emotion they might be feeling, whether they’re feeling happy, sad, or something else entirely. This can help children to become more aware of what they’re feeling. When kids are in touch with their emotions, it’s easier for them to find coping mechanisms. Emotional intelligence also helps children to develop empathy. Furthermore, play can give kids a feeling of accomplishment, which can improve their self-esteem and wellbeing.

Using Blocks for Therapy

Play therapy can be very beneficial to children that have social anxiety or SEN. With blocks, kids can create buildings, develop settings, and work through what they’re feeling. It can also provide a safe environment for social interaction.

There are types of play therapy that utilize blocks to strengthen social skills in children between the ages of five and 16. It’s particularly effective for kids on the autism spectrum. Small groups of as many as six children work alongside an accredited child therapist. The kids must work together to construct models with the blocks. Children are assigned and asked to switch roles during the one-hour session. Roles include builder, supplier, and engineer. If there are any social issues during the session, the therapist will provide encouragement and will work with the children to find a solution to the problem. Kids also have the chance to use their imagination by building without any instructions.

It’s an entertaining way for kids to work together, communicate, share, listen, and solve problems together.