The Power of Play
YarraMe School incorporates and values the use of play in our programs, as it allows us to work with children with varying complex social and emotional needs.
Play can help children understand and process feelings and experiences. It’s an essential part of children’s development; and engaging in certain types of play is linked to the development of cognitive abilities in many areas including speech, narrative language and social skills.
The goals of our therapeutic play program are for our students to learn:
Play can help children understand and process feelings and experiences. It’s an essential part of children’s development; and engaging in certain types of play is linked to the development of cognitive abilities in many areas including speech, narrative language and social skills.
The goals of our therapeutic play program are for our students to learn:
- to understand their feelings
- to express their feelings appropriately
- to develop problem solving skills both in independence building and in peer situations
- to increase self-confidence and self-esteem
- to increase adult trust and build strong relationships with secure attachments to the adults in the school environment
- to reduce challenging behaviours by supporting students to self-regulate and therefore be more receptive to learning.
The therapeutic powers of play can rise above culture and language to produce positive changes in students of all backgrounds. Play typically brings about change in four ways: facilitating communication; fostering emotional wellness; enhancing social relationships and increasing students’ personal strengths.
The play program at YarraMe School uses many play activities such as dramatic and role play, sand play, puppets, symbolic and small world play, sensory play, art and music. It focuses on the importance of a child’s self-concept to help with their cognitive, social and behavioural abilities. There are four main skills that the teachers and play therapists use throughout these play sessions that follow Rise VanFleet’s Filial Therapy program (VanFleet, 2012).
They are:
Pretend Play
Pretend or imaginative play is a type of play that involves using scenarios and materials beyond their literal use or meaning. This type of play also involves the use of symbols in which an item is playfully treated as if it were something else.
Pretend play is a complex skill, requiring students to think of an idea, plan what they might need, use symbols or objects in ways that they are not designed for and then logically sequence these events, while creating shared meaning and problem solving with peers. Not all children develop the skills to pretend play independently. There are many factors that may inhibit this such as ASD, early childhood trauma and anxiety.
As Fred Rogers says, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” (Rogers, 2018). Pretend play teaches many everyday life skills. The students entering our Juniors intake at YarraMe School are assessed on their imaginative play skills and the daily play program is then designed to focus on each individual’s needs through areas such as object substitution, sequence of play action and social interaction.
This approach begins with structure, incorporating some known life experiences then moves to imagination and challenges the child within the play while removing the structure and scaffolding. The teachers are involved in the play initially, modelling and scaffolding the skills before stepping back to allow the peer group time to practise and master these skills together.
Play is an important and natural part of every child’s life. Play is a child’s language and toys are their words. Through play, children learn about their world, develop an understanding of relationships and how things work, learn to express themselves and share experiences, and develop new skills through problem solving.
References
Landreth, G. (2012). Play Therapy: The art of the relationship. New York: Routledge.
Ray, D. C. (2006). Evidence-Based Play Therapy. In C. E. Schaefer, Contemporary Play Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 136-157). New York: Guilford Publications.
Rogers, F. (2018). Fred Rogers Center. Retrieved from https://www.fredrogerscenter.org/2014/09/why-play-is-the-work-of-childhood/
Schaefer, C., & AA, D. (2014). The therapuetic powers of play: 20 core agents of change. Hobroken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons INC.
Stagnitti, K. (2013). Learn to Play: A practical program to develop a child's Imaginative play skills. Victoria: Co-ordinates Publications.
VanFleet, R. (2012). A parent's handbook of filial play therapy: building storng families with play. Boiling Springs, PA: Play Therapy Press.
The play program at YarraMe School uses many play activities such as dramatic and role play, sand play, puppets, symbolic and small world play, sensory play, art and music. It focuses on the importance of a child’s self-concept to help with their cognitive, social and behavioural abilities. There are four main skills that the teachers and play therapists use throughout these play sessions that follow Rise VanFleet’s Filial Therapy program (VanFleet, 2012).
They are:
- Structuring: to help students to understand format and avoid conflict;
- Empathic Listening: empathy is essential for growth and change. It shows sensitivity and understanding to the child and of their emotions and or/situations;
- Imaginary Play: playing with imagination and showing emotions using voices, facial expressions etc. This involves the adult following the child’s lead to wherever/whatever the child needs to be exploring;
- Limit Setting: to create a safe and secure environment.
Pretend Play
Pretend or imaginative play is a type of play that involves using scenarios and materials beyond their literal use or meaning. This type of play also involves the use of symbols in which an item is playfully treated as if it were something else.
Pretend play is a complex skill, requiring students to think of an idea, plan what they might need, use symbols or objects in ways that they are not designed for and then logically sequence these events, while creating shared meaning and problem solving with peers. Not all children develop the skills to pretend play independently. There are many factors that may inhibit this such as ASD, early childhood trauma and anxiety.
As Fred Rogers says, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” (Rogers, 2018). Pretend play teaches many everyday life skills. The students entering our Juniors intake at YarraMe School are assessed on their imaginative play skills and the daily play program is then designed to focus on each individual’s needs through areas such as object substitution, sequence of play action and social interaction.
This approach begins with structure, incorporating some known life experiences then moves to imagination and challenges the child within the play while removing the structure and scaffolding. The teachers are involved in the play initially, modelling and scaffolding the skills before stepping back to allow the peer group time to practise and master these skills together.
Play is an important and natural part of every child’s life. Play is a child’s language and toys are their words. Through play, children learn about their world, develop an understanding of relationships and how things work, learn to express themselves and share experiences, and develop new skills through problem solving.
References
Landreth, G. (2012). Play Therapy: The art of the relationship. New York: Routledge.
Ray, D. C. (2006). Evidence-Based Play Therapy. In C. E. Schaefer, Contemporary Play Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 136-157). New York: Guilford Publications.
Rogers, F. (2018). Fred Rogers Center. Retrieved from https://www.fredrogerscenter.org/2014/09/why-play-is-the-work-of-childhood/
Schaefer, C., & AA, D. (2014). The therapuetic powers of play: 20 core agents of change. Hobroken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons INC.
Stagnitti, K. (2013). Learn to Play: A practical program to develop a child's Imaginative play skills. Victoria: Co-ordinates Publications.
VanFleet, R. (2012). A parent's handbook of filial play therapy: building storng families with play. Boiling Springs, PA: Play Therapy Press.
