Parents, are you drinking from a firehouse of information about the “right” therapies, the “best” learning tools, and the “most effective” strategies to help your children? It can be overwhelming. It’s easy to dismiss some approaches as “just playing” – especially when you’re dealing with serious developmental, emotional, or sensory challenges.
At Zier Institute (Omaha) and Amy Zier + Associates (Chicago), we understand that skepticism. Parents sometimes wonder if play therapy is “legitimate” therapy or just a fun distraction. Does play truly help their child’s development, or are they simply engaging in unstructured playtime?
Play is as real as it gets with children. In moments of imagination, creativity, and joy, children expose their most true selves. Therapeutically, play becomes a powerful path toward growth, connection, and lasting change.
Play Therapy: More Than Just Fun and Games
It’s a myth that play is frivolous or unimportant. In reality, play is a fundamental aspect of child development:
- Play as Communication: Children can struggle to articulate emotions or experiences. Play provides a safe and natural language for them to express themselves, process their feelings, and make sense of their world.
- Play as Problem-Solving: Play helps children experiment with different solutions, test boundaries, and develop critical thinking skills. When parents think back to their first memories of learning to manage challenges, adapt to changing situations, and build resilience, it’s likely a memory about playing as a child.
- Play as Emotional Regulation: Play allows children to explore and regulate their emotions without rules or restrictions. Through play, they learn to manage big feelings, cope with anxiety, anger, or depression, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
- Play as Connection: Shared play experiences create strong bonds between children and their caregivers, promoting trust, empathy, and a sense of belonging. These connections are essential for emotional well-being and healthy development.
Need more convincing?
Consider what ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit promoting the healthy development of babies and toddlers, has to say in their resource, The Power of Play: “Play is fun and important to young children’s intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development. Through play, children learn problem-solving, interpersonal skills, communication, and other skills integral to success in school and life.”
DIRFloortime® and Play Therapy: A Synergistic Approach
At Zier Institute and Amy Zier + Associates, we integrate the principles of DIRFloortime into our sessions and into the culture of our clinics. DIRFloortime is a developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based model that is structured around the importance of building strong relationships and following the child’s lead. By recognizing each child’s individual differences, the DIR approach promotes trusting relationships and following the child’s lead.
Taking play seriously means that our highly trained play therapists:
- Meet the child where they are developmentally. We don’t impose preconceived notions or rigid expectations.
- Follow the child’s lead: We observe the child’s interests, motivations, and cues, and tailor our approach accordingly.
- Engage in reciprocal interaction: We encourage back-and-forth communication to promote social skills, emotional connection, and shared understanding.
- Challenge the child to stretch and grow: We gently guide the child towards new challenges and opportunities for learning and development.
Need Even More Convincing? Dig Into the Science of Play
If you’re ready to dive into the science and theory behind play therapy, we recommend tuning into the Huberman Lab Podcast. During a recent episode, Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain, host Andrew Huberman discusses “the transformative nature of play—how it changes our feelings, thoughts, and actions and indeed, how it can rewire our brain to function better in all contexts.”
The bottom line is that play therapy has innumerable benefits.
- Play can facilitate change.
- Play gives agency and creativity.
- Play promotes the development of interpersonal relations.
- Play is not just about the child. Adults don’t outgrow the benefits of play; it brings them closer to their children, their bodies, and emotions.
Seeing is Understanding
We understand that it can be challenging to grasp the power of play therapy until you see it in action. If you’re still unsure whether play therapy is the right fit for your child, we encourage you to:
- Observe a session: Schedule a consultation to meet with one of our therapists and see how they engage with children through play.
- Ask questions: Don’t hesitate to ask us about the specific techniques we use and the goals we’re working towards.
- Trust the process: Play therapy is a journey, and it may take time to see results. Trust that your child is learning, growing, and developing in meaningful ways.
Play therapy is not just about having fun; it’s about allowing your child a safe place to realize their full potential. Play encourages meaningful connections, problem-solving, and social skills, among other things.
Ready to explore the power of play? Contact Zier Institute or Amy Zier + Associates to schedule a consultation and learn more about our play-based therapy services. We’re here to help your child and family flourish.