The Power Of Play

Playing is a powerful tool

Statistics show that the amount of time children spend playing has been declining for years. There are numerous factors that have contributed to this decline….

· School schedules

· Extra curricular activities

· Parents work schedules

· Screen Time

And believe it or not some people think playing is a frivolous behavior and not necessary.

But play is an instrumental part of a child’s development.

Research shows that playing helps children better control their emotions, handle stress, learn to organize, play well with others, socialize, use language, perform math skills, and much much more.

Play should be voluntary, spontaneous and have no goal in mind other than having fun.

How to support your special needs child through play?

Focus on what your child can do instead of what they can’t do. Your child might need a toy modified, or they might need some support to play, but with some modifications play can still be fun for everyone. While some activities for a wheelchair child might need a tray table, most will only need a minor modification done.

Give choices! Green ball or red ball? By letting them make choices you are helping them develop confidence, and communication skills. This also gives them some control.

Use a Hand over hand or hand under hand approach. This method is where your child rests their hand on top of your hand or you rest your hand on theirs. This is a great way to offer your child control of the activity.

Use communication boards and pictures.

Focus on your child’s likes to help promote good play sessions. Example... If they loves cars then focus the play around that.

Let’s talk Sensory Play……

Sensory play can be both stimulating and calming for your child.

So what is sensory play? Sensory play is an activity that stimulates a child's senses. This can be the sense of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing.

Some examples of sensory play would be:

Blowing bubbles/watching bubbles

Feeling different materials and textiles (sand, fabric, slime, dried pasta, ect…)

Touching items that make noise (bubble wrap, scrunched paper, ect…)

Light up toys or light machines

Sound machines

Here is a great article by healthline https://www.healthline.com/.../childrens.../sensory-play... on sensory play. I encourage you to check It out as it has some great ideas/examples of sensory play.

PLAY doesn't have to be with the best and most expensive toys! you can give your child regular, inexpensive household items to play with.

I do not know how many times I have bought a gift for my kids for Christmas and the box it came in was a bigger hit than the gift itself. Play doesn't have to be expensive. Imagination is free. Pots and pans for drums, a box or a sheet to build a fort, clothes for dress up, etc.

Let your child lead the play session when possible. Try not to get hung up on the rules or what your expectations are for this play session. Let your child use their imagination. If they want to put the dishes from the play kitchen in their toy car and push them around rather than put them in the kitchen sink then let them. Follow where your child leads and understand its the process that's important not the outcome.

Don't overthink it..... just have fun!