"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
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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"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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So who really is Bing Bong? What does he represent? And what really happened to him (sob!)?
The official line is that he's an imaginary friend, but he can most certainly mean different things to different people. Here is a unique fan theory. He didn't die. (Or maybe he did but he was reborn!) He's gone underground working as a play therapist! At the end of this post I'll share something that was left behind from him in my play room. The evidence!
Keep the tissues handy as you revisit the emotional memory of Bing Bong's story. But first, why on Earth does he work as a play therapist?
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Inside Out. The 2 Oscar nominations are certainly justified. There hasn't been such a brave, emotionally intelligent, creative and science based Kid's film before. Let's face it, it is a film just as much for adults. From a play therapist point of view I want to quickly highlight some of the reasons why it is so important to honour this film with the Oscar awards. Here are the top 7 reasons why I love it SO MUCH (from my play therapist geeky mind...)
It's relatable, sincere and it highlights a lot of truth bombs that those in play therapy have known to be true for a long time. Read on to find out the most poignant lessons to share from my play therapy perspective.
N.B. I am not in any way affiliated with Pixar. This comes from my playful heart!
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Play isn't all sandcastles and blowing bubbles...
Understanding your child's play & What to do when it gets a little scary!
In honour of Halloween, I thought I'd touch on that common occurrence of when play goes a little...well...dark!
I suspect most parents have been in the situation when they're playing seemingly "nicely" with their child and then bam, "Barney's head gets sliced off and rolls into a massive bone crunching machine"! This is then often followed by a sinister little laugh. Creepy!
Perhaps you said "are you sure that's what happens next?" Or maybe you tried to rescue the grim tale "but then McQueen comes and blocks the blade and they all talk it out before becoming best friends,right?" Maybe you said nothing and just let your mouth hang open as you slowly edge away in a mild panic that your son is going to turn into some sort of psychopath!
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How travel helps you understand your child (whether that's your inner or outer child!)
This is not your typical travel anecdote.
I cringe to say it but I guess you could say I'm a "well traveled" person. I come from a long line of Irish folk with itchy feet. I've lived in Hong Kong now for over 8 years so most of my trips tend to be around Asia. Not this summer. This summer I was thrown into the alien yet somewhat familiar culture of America!
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