Play is the "work" of Children

Remember being Luke Skywalker in an epic battle against his father or being lost in your own imagination playing outside on long summer days with your favorite toys? 

​Author - Bernadene Weskin

The "work" of children

Research is encouraging us to ensure that our children have sufficient time to play, but the purpose of play is often glossed over. 

Decades ago Maria Montessori identified that children's play had a clear purpose in the child development process and called it the “work” of children.  The benefit of this “work” comes later in life with the development of healthy identities, the ability to form intimate relationships and to be resilient to stress. 

​Understanding the purpose of play is integral to helping our children achieve success in the future.

​Children use their imagination and natural tendency to play to explore and understand the world around them.  The crashing of two objects can be to test cause and effect; learning that this movement with these objects will make this sound.  It can also be a way to gain control and insight over their world. A sense of knowing that they can control what happens and when it will happen.

Testing the Limits

​If I bang these hard enough will they break? Or will Dad come running into the room and to see what is happening?  Acting out a scene with toys can help a child look at a situation from multiple perspectives; the child can play the aggressor, the victim or the hero. 

​Dressing up as Mom is more than just pretend, children are trying on these roles and learning about how it feels to be Mom.  All these examples show the power of play in helping the child understand their world and their role within that world.

Play Therapy

Childhood problems have a way of snowballing into larger problems if not addressed early.  Play Therapy uses the natural instinct of children to explore their world through play to help children explore and manage presenting issues.  


A child who is loud and destructive is given the opportunity to explore this in the safety of the play therapy room.  Here, they can freely test their limits and learn the skills to gain control over their impulses.  An anxious child is guided in exploring their world and developing strategies to overcome their limitations.  A traumatized child is given space to explore their experience and understand their own strengths. 

​Play therapy can make the hard work of behavioral change into a fun challenge for the child. 

As a trained play therapist, I am able to enter into the child’s world and help them to work on wide range of diverse challenges, such as anxiety, depression, anger, self harm, substance abuse, trauma, abuse, grief and loss, bullying, relationship issues, separation/divorce, family conflict, learning disorders, developmental and behavioral issues, parent-child conflict, attachment, conduct difficulties and much more.