Play Based

Jan 5

Play based therapy is child lead. Rather than the adult forcing a child to play with certain toys in a particular way we take a step back and look at what your kiddo is already interested in. By using what motivates a child we are able to naturally teach them new skills.

A great example of play based therapy is the use of cars. These mini movers have the hearts and minds of many children, but the play goes much farther than simply pushing them around. While playing with cars we can work on skills such as speech development, imitation, colors, numbers, following directions, and so much more.

“Children learn best through play.”

Speech Development

A very simple game to play with your child and their cars is pass. Incorporate early language development by saying “ready, set, go” before pushing the car back to them. Use this same phrase every time to help your child learn to talk. The more your child hears it, the more likely they are to repeat it.

Speech development goes beyond just repeating words. If your kiddo is not quite talking yet, using sign language while speaking to them is a great way to encourage communication. Check out this quick video to sign “ready, set, go!”

Imitation

Children learn by watching what others are doing and then trying to do things the same way. Work on your kiddos cognitive flexibility by pushing the car in different ways. Try pushing it backwards, or with one finger, or with your foot. See if your child will imitate what you are doing.

Colors

An easy way to practice identifying colors is by labeling them ALL THE TIME. Get a couple different color cars and line them up. When you pass the car to your child say the name of the color. Get silly with how you say it. No one wants to listen to monotone labeling.

Numbers

There are a couple different ways to go about numbers. First we have identifying numbers by what they are. In other words reading “1”, “2”, “3”. Second we have identifying the amount of things in front of us “ 1, 2, or 3 cars”.

If you want to focus on reading numbers you can put stickers with numbers on your car. (Or you can put some scotch tape on the car, label it with a number, followed by another layer of scotch tape). Then just label the number car you are pushing when you pass it to your child.

If you want to focus on number as an amount line up three cars and label them as you push them over “one, two, three!”. You can also label them as you catch them.

Following Directions

Some of our earliest directions for children include the word “stop”. Being able to follow this one little direction is crucial to keeping them safe. However, our little ones rarely want to hear or listen to the word which can make learning it challenging. In this game we take the unwanted pressure off of ‘stop’. It is no longer taking away something fun, but rather the opposite, it builds excitement and anticipation.

This game involves pushing a car around a track while saying “go, go, go… stop!” make eye contact with your little one and repeat. It is that simple! You can take the game even further by practicing words such as “slow, slow slow… fast!”.