Why is play important in child therapy?

Here are the reasons why play is another resource in child psychotherapy.

Many parents are tempted to have their young children spend their time learning as much as they can, rather than spending many hours a week playing. However, this is a serious mistake: not only is play not "wasting time", but in childhood it is the experience that the youngest children use to learn naturally and spontaneously. And this also applies to knowledge that goes beyond the academic world: management of emotions, socialization, adoption of values, etc.

That is why, play is a valuable tool used by both child psychologists and educational psychologists to help children and youngsters when it comes to helping children. Let us see to what this is due.

Childhood play: the engine of learning

A child is not the equivalent of an adult with less reasoning ability and large gaps in knowledge about how the world works. about how the world works. The youngest children are, of course, more ignorant than their elders, but that does not mean that their minds are devoid of content. On the contrary, precisely because in childhood we are constantly exposed to new situations that present us with doubts and challenges to face, very often the child's psychological activity is mobilizing knowledge previously consolidated in his or her memory.

This knowledge is imperfect and provisional, full of half-truths or even totally erroneous beliefs, but it serves as a reference to distinguish more and more between what is true and what is false. In this sense, psychological activity in childhood does not differ much from that of the adult, taking into account that no one comes to have perfect and absolute knowledge of the truth. However, there are clear differences in other aspects, and the role of play in the psychological development of children is one of them.

And the fact is that play has several characteristics that make it a very good vehicle for learning, both in terms of ideas and the of both ideas and the management of emotions. Let's see why this is so.

1. There is no division between form and content in the learning material.

During childhood, human beings have a lower capacity for abstract thinking, and therefore, any form of didactic experience must take into account that it is difficult for children to simply abstract from the learning materials and focus their minds only on the new knowledge they bring. This explains, among other things, why they often need the support of illustrations even when they have already mastered the basics of reading texts.

In play, the ludic activity itself is part of what is being learned, and provides constant references as to what are the elements from which to extract new information. That is to say, there is no radical division between the material resources used to learn and the learning itself, and theory and practice go hand in hand.and theory and practice go hand in hand.

2. Play generates narrative lines

The knowledge and skills that children gain through play are not based on abstract concepts isolated from any kind of experience that is familiar to them; on the contrary, they are one more element in a story in which they are participating..

This makes this kind of learning very meaningful for them, and by being able to place them in a narrative structure such as introduction, knot and denouement, they have a clear notion of their progress, of what it means to advance, to stagnate, etc.

In addition, when new knowledge is produced in the context of a story, it is much easier to memorize, and it is more memorable.They are more memorable (they will more easily recall it automatically).

3. Playing creates a context in which they are the protagonists.

When playing, children find themselves in a position where they are constantly they have to constantly position themselves in front of the challenges they face.It is very difficult for them to adopt a totally passive role, because the situation means that even the act of folding their arms can be interpreted in a narrative key.

4. Motivates them to face new challenges

Last but not least, there is the fact that the game can be very motivatingIf it is well planned, it may even be the little ones who ask to repeat it again.

How is play used in child therapy?

In the same way that children have a natural predisposition to play spontaneously, child psychologists also use therapeutic resources based on play, child psychologists also use play-based therapeutic resources to tap the potential of these experiences.. That is to say, play contexts are proposed to, through them, favor the development and training of certain skills and abilities in children.

This is a very good way not only to intervene in the psychological processes of children from understandable situations for them, but also, as we have seen, it favors that they become another agent of the educational process, being the first ones interested in progressing. In addition, the game is a medium in which they can express their ideas and feelings spontaneously.

In this way, it is possible to work on problems that can be approached both from child therapy and from psycho-pedagogy, generating situations that will allow them to train skills of recognition and management of emotions, social skills, fine motor skills, planning, strategy setting, etc. All this, without pressure and feeling an active part of their own progress..

Are you looking for professional support for your son or daughter?

If you are looking for child and adolescent psychotherapy, psycho-pedagogy or speech therapy services, please contact us. At Inpsiko Center we have been helping people of all ages for years, both individually and offering support to the families of children and adolescents. You can find us in Bilbao and Barakaldo.

Bibliographical references:

• Ginsburg, K.R., et. al. al. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1): pp. 182 - 191.
• Howard C. (2008). Children at Play: An American History. Nueva York: NYU Press.
• Nijhof, S.L. et. al. (2018). Healthy play, better coping: The importance of play for the development of children in health and disease. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 95: pp. 421 - 429.
• Taylor, L.C.; Clayton, J.D., Rowley, S.J. (2004). Academic Socialization: Understanding Parental Influences on Children's School-Related Development in the Early Years. Review of General Psychology. 8 (3): pp. 163 - 178.
• West-Eberhard, M.J. (2003). Developmental plasticity and evolution. Oxford University Press.