"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." Plato
We help children who can't talk about their feelings. We help using their very first language- play. If you know a child who needs developmentally appropriate support please contact us to find out how we can help you.
Information and tips about play therapy and child mental health to help the children in your life. Learn about how to support a child in the classroom and at home. Find out about the latest research findings on child mental health. From time to time I will invite you to reflect on your inner child too as it's all related!
Parenting, child therapy, families, classroom support, play therapy
Free Play! A list of its profound benefits!
This month we are delighted to feature a guest post from Neve Spicer (of wetheparents.org). This is a great article to share with those who need reminding that play should be a priority along with an evidence based infographic! Enjoy and share with your friends for Play Therapy Week! ( 3rd Feb- 10th Feb 2019)
Modern science is now backing up what parents, educators and play therapists have known for eons. Children need to play.
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Top Children’s Books for the heart!
As well as puppets, sand, figurines, musical instruments, dress up toys and art materials, books are a well used resource in my play room as a play therapist. I am very selective on which books are allowed in and they must have a therapeutic purpose. Below are some of my most used and favourite books and they would make wonderful additions to your home (or teacher's/therapist's room).
Following last month's article on cultivating your inner calm, this month we are focussing on when things have escalated and you haven't got any more calm to share (it happens to us all!). So this time we are focussing more specifically about not joining the chaos! Because let's face it, we can't always keep up with our calm cultivating practices (that we touched on in the last article). Sometimes it seems there's just a perfect storm of things going wrong and you get wound up. You are human after all.
First be sure to download your free printable refrigerator sheet that accompanies this article so you can easily put this into action!
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The lovely Noreen Mir from RTHK Radio 3 & I!
It was my pleasure to talk about Play Therapy and raise awareness on child mental health today on RTHK radio 3 with the lovely Noreen Mir! Take a listen/watch to find out....
* The endangered type of play that you should be prioritising!
* What is typically in my playroom
* Why Play Therapy is so effective
* Why Play Therapy can be used across the lifespan (yes really!)
* Things to look out for in your child's behaviour
* Tips on how to get your anxious child on the school bus!
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Three simple ways to help your anxious child at home and in the moment. These little tips are wonderful for working alongside a child who is undergoing play therapy or a child who is going through a very stressful time right now and who needs some support handling their feelings of anxiety. Seeing anxiety in our children is very anxiety provoking in itself! These tricks can help us caretakers cope too. Be sure to practice good self care!
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With the rise in childhood anxiety, it seems children are under more pressure than ever. We are more aware of big forms of stress on children (e.g. from school pressures, divorce, abuse, bereavement, and abuse) but they are not the only ways. Few parents or teachers intend to put excess pressure on their child but there could be some ways you are adding to their internal pressure cooker. In this article I will share two hidden ways we unwittingly add pressure and some ways to take the lid off! (In a controlled manner of course!).
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Being a kid can be frustrating! A lot of the time they are being told what to do by grown ups, they are learning all the time and they are often facing tricky challenges slightly beyond their cognitive or physical capabilities! It’s no wonder that tempers can flare up!
Being a parent or teacher also requires a lot of patience and it’s easy for us to get frustrated to. In this video I show you a simple playful breathing technique called woodchopper breath that is great for stress relief and can calm and settle the body and mind before the blood reaches boiling point!
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Around this time of year everyone is setting New Year Resolutions, have you? In my family we tended not to do this. Dad said it seemed to be setting ourselves up for failure so we avoided it altogether!
It seems pops was on to something though because there are a LOT of depressing stats out there about how many of us fail in our resolutions by the end of January…oops!
I think the reason for this is because the format of resolutions is very negative. “I will stop….eating ice cream, yelling at my kids, staying up late (fill in the blank!)
While being mean to ourselves and forcing ourselves to do without may work in the short run, for more long term change we need to feel good about doing it!
So instead of “I will stop yelling at the kids” tweak it to the positive that you want more of. E.g. “ I will speak with more kindness and authority to the children.”
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Baby’s brains are pretty incredible. They are the best learners and they seemingly never stop trying to learn more about the world! Here are some fun facts to celebrate the unsung baby brain! Read to the end to get easy tips on how to support your baby's brain growth.
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"Mum! Daddy! Please I really want this! I will play with it all the time. Please, please, please!"
After some consideration you get it. It looks vaguely educational even!
A week later, it’s gathering dust. You search around and find where your child is playing. To your surprise they’re stuck into the stacking cups that you put by the door to donate to charity. They are 9 years old after all! They keep showing an interest in toys that seem far too young for them lately. What is going on? What should I do?
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Play Therapy- Is it magic? ;) Click the image above for video.
Although I have seen lots of wizards, unicorns and dragons (even dressed as them at times) in the play room, play therapy isn’t just “magic”. The experience for children, parents, teachers alike can be magical but there are logical explanations for how play therapy works. Here are just a few!
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Image by Kian Gallagher.
N.B. Full Cup Play Therapy knows how personal and powerful creative work done in therapy is. Therefore we never share any artwork from child clients.
After ensuring the physical safety of your child, support their sense of emotional safety at home. This article gives tips for trauma proofing your child and when to seek extra professional help.
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What is play therapy? Who is it for and what does a play therapist do?
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Image credit to <a href='http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/little-girl-covering-her-face_907980.htm'>Designed by Freepik</a> (modified)
When a child is experiencing anxiety, they are stuck in a state of “readiness”. Their bodies are getting ready for action. Their heart rate and breathing rate increases and there is surge in stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Their nervous system switches into Sympathetic nervous system which is reactive and prioritises fight or flight. Blood supply rushes to the legs and arms ready to run or fight. When anxiety is persistent children become stuck and will need extra help from caring adults in their life. Seeing your child suffer from anxiety is anxiety provoking in the parents often! A play therapist can help your child move through the anxiety and learnt to self regulate the strong sensations experienced with anxiety.
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