“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury; the time spent engaged in it is not time that could be better spent in more formal educational pursuits”- Lay Redfield Jamison (Psychologist)
If you were to walk into a paediatric OT clinic you are likely to see games, toys, swings, slides, and building cushions; and you may think that it looks more like a play centre than an Occupational Therapy clinic. You might see children completing obstacle courses, drawing in shaving cream, or in a very serious game of Connect 4.
The Question: Do Occupational Therapists just play with kids all day?
What is play?
Play is defined as a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for pleasure and entertainment, meaning that these activities are fun, meaningful and enjoyable. These activities can be structured (such as a board games or hide and seek), or unstructured (such as pretend or explorative play) and can happen in a vast range of environments. Play is enjoyable for children and is something they want to do, therefore are likely to attend to for longer and more intently.
Play looks different at each stage of development and for each child depending on their interests, skills, and difficulties. As children develop, their play becomes more complex with more intricate scripts, the use of props or objects, and the involvement of others.
Why is play important?
“Play is the work of children” (Jean Piaget), as it provides them with opportunities to learn through experiences. When engaged in play, children are participating in a range of opportunities that promote the development of many skills, including, gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, language, social, emotional and so on. At each developmental stage children engage in play that help them explore and learn about different things. For example;
- When babies play with their own hands and feet, they are exploring what they are, and developing their awareness of their own body.
- When a toddler plays with a toy that has buttons for different sounds, they are exploring cause and effect, developing fine motor skills and sensory processing skills.
- When a child engages in pretend play they develop their creativity, ability to sequence actions to form a full task, and their understanding of roles in society.
- When playing at the playground children may engage in risky play that helps them explore their own boundaries, including risk management, safety awareness and social awareness.
- When children play together, they develop their empathy, problem solving skills, ability to compromise, language skills and emotional regulation skills.
How do OTs use play in therapy?
The art of OT is to find the activities or tasks that will be both motivating and beneficial for the child. OTs use play to target specific skills that are relevant for the child whilst also ensuring the task is enjoyable and engaging. Children naturally engage best in activities they want to do, therefore by using play in therapy it allows the child to engage successfully in tasks that will help them achieve their goals. For example:
Tom loves dinosaurs more than anything. One of his OT goals is to improve his balance and coordination to help him participate in sports. The OT may set up an obstacle course with activities that work on balance and coordination however have dinosaur toys to collect at each stop, and adapt some of the activities to include roaring or acting like a dinosaur.
OTs combine this with their knowledge of body systems, child development, neuroscience, psychology and child behaviour to constantly assess and support children to develop their skills and participate successfully in their everyday tasks.
Answer: OTs do play with children. However, it is for the purpose of promoting their skills through meaningful and motivating activities, so that they can work towards their therapy goals.
If you have any questions about how or why Occupational Therapists use play in therapy please speak to your child’s therapist, or contact us on 02 9913 3823 or at hello@occupationaltherapy.com.au.
