Choosing the Right Toys for Therapeutic Play at Home: A Play Therapist’s Perspective

As a play therapist and mother of a toddler, I know firsthand how important play is for children’s development. Therapeutic play is an important tool for developing your child’s emotional expression and ability to cope and resolve conflict. We’ve all seen the different fads and trends of children’s play whether it’s the “beige mom” toys or extreme minimalism. When it comes to setting up a play environment at home that nurtures your child’s growth and emotional wellbeing, the right toys can make a difference.

Why Therapeutic Play Matters

 

Children express their thoughts, fears, and feelings through play. In my role as a play therapist, I assist kids in processing their experiences and examining their feelings via play in a secure, accepting environment. Social awareness, communication abilities, and emotional control are all enhanced by therapeutic play. Studies show that therapeutic play helps children deal with trauma, alleviate stress, and develop cognitively (Koukourikos et al., 2021). With the correct play strategy and the appropriate toys, you can obtain some of these benefits at home.

What Makes a Toy Therapeutic?

It's important to select toys for therapeutic play that promote creativity, problem-solving, and emotional exploration. Finding toys that promote open-ended play is something I advise because it can encourage creativity and provide your child with the opportunity to make up scenarios and stories that have personal significance.

Dolls and Action figures: Children can use dolls, action figures, and stuffed animals as props to act out scenarios from their memories, social interactions, or family relationships. Children can resolve interpersonal conflicts and manage emotions like fear, grief, or rage with the help of these toys. Role-playing games and dolls encourage emotional expressiveness and aid in children's trauma processing (Cohen et al., 2020). As an early step in learning emotional regulation, my toddler, for instance, plays with action figures and dolls to exercise empathy by comforting his toys. My spouse and I participate in this process by observing the emotional cues he portrays with his toys and vocalizing them back to him. This technique, known as mirroring, is beneficial for reinforcing children’s emotional understandings.

Art supplies: Children can express themselves creatively through art projects including painting, molding (play dough), and drawing. Art therapy enables children to project their inner world onto the page and can be an important tool when verbal communication is minimal. Expressive arts increase children's resilience and emotional understanding (Malchiodi, 2021). When words aren't enough, giving your child a range of tools like crayons, markers, and clay can help them express themselves. You can then infer and inquire about their feelings and experiences through the pictures they create.

Sensory Toys: Stress balls, textured toys, and squishy items are examples of sensory play toys that help kids focus better and alleviate their anxiety. It has been demonstrated that sensory play helps with emotional control, comfort, and stress reduction (Gibson et al., 2021).

Pretend Play Sets: Children must engage in pretend play to solve issues, practice social roles, and develop narratives that represent their experiences. Children can comprehend real-life scenarios with the aid of these toys. Pretend play improves emotional intelligence, social comprehension, and cognitive flexibility. It’s important to provide pretend play sets that are not gender specific because doing so promotes equality and allows children to explore a wide range of roles without being restricted by gender norms. According to a study by Tenenbaum and Leaper (2002), boys who played with dolls and role-playing sets were observed to show greater emotional sensitivity and empathy, traits often not encouraged in traditional male toys.

Encouraging Play as a Tool for Emotional Expression

Giving your child the autonomy to direct the play is one of the most important components of therapeutic play at home. This entails allowing kids the freedom to experiment with feelings and concepts without enforcing adult norms. Asking open-ended questions like "What's happening now?" or "How does this toy feel?" encourages parents to participate in their child's play. By asking these questions, parents and children can strengthen their supportive relationship and increase their emotional participation.

Takeaways

Elaborate toys are not needed to practice therapeutic play at home. You can assist your child in expressing themselves, overcoming obstacles, and developing emotional resilience by choosing toys that allow for creativity, communication, and emotional regulation. The objective is to establish a setting where your child feels heard, encouraged, and free to explore their world, whether that is achieved by role-playing with dolls, making art, or negotiating social situations with pretend play sets. As a mother and a therapist, I have witnessed firsthand the significant influence that therapeutic play has on children’s emotional development. By creating an environment that supports play, we assist kids in processing their emotions, gaining social skills, and confidently navigating life's obstacles.

 

Gibson, J. L., Pritchard, E., & de Lemos, C. (2021). Play-based interventions to support social and communication development in autistic children aged 2–8 years: A scoping review. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 6(1), 239694152110158. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211015840

Koukourikos, K., Tsaloglidou, A., Tzeha, L., Iliadis, C., Frantzana, A., Katsimbeli, A., & Kourkouta, L. (2021). An Overview of Play Therapy. Materia Socio Medica, 33(4), 293–297. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2021.33.293-297

Malchiodi, C. A. (2008). Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children. Guilford Press.

Paul, H. A. (2013). Trauma-Focused CBT for Children and Adolescents: Treatment Application, edited by J. A. Cohen, A. P. Mannarino, & E. Deblinger. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 35(3), 264–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317107.2013.789374

Tenenbaum, H. R., & Leaper, C. (2002). Are parents’ gender schemas related to their children’s gender-related cognitions? A meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 38(4), 615–630. https://doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.38.4.615