As professionals and parents, many of us are strong advocates for educating others of the importance of play in children’s lives. Over the past thousands of years, famous people have been so wise about the power of play. Here are 25 play quotes to remind us why PLAY is so IMPORTANT in the life of […]
Universal design is the idea that activities should be accessible to all people including those with disabilities. When there are multiple ways to present, use and play with a toy, it can help benefit all children to play regardless of their abilities. In short, toys need to engage many senses and require variability of play. […]
Fred Rogers once said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children, play is serious learning.” Children need to play to learn. In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, children are struggling to develop the foundational skills for play. In order for children to be successful with play, […]
How to Facilitate Play Skills in Children with Autism Playtime helps all children develop communication, social, cognitive, and motor skills. For children with autism, difficulties with language, social skills, and motor skills may be present. In addition, pretend play skills can be delayed. Parents, teachers, and therapists need to learn how to facilitate play skills in children […]
3 Simple Tips to Improve Playtime for Children with Disabilities Children learn through play and parents help to direct that play throughout development. For children with disabilities, playtime can sometimes be a struggle based on the child’s physical abilities (i.e. hand manipulation), toy choice and environment. The overall goal of playtime is for children to […]
The Journal of Physiotherapy completed a research review examining whether constraint-induced movement therapy improves upper limb activity and participation in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Only randomized trials (31 papers out of 597 screened abstracts) were included in the review. The randomized trials included children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy with any level of motor […]
Side stepping ball drop is a fun activity to set up that encourages standing, side stepping, reaching, crossing midline, trunk rotation and wrist extension. You will need recycled cardboard tubes, tape, balls (that fit inside the tubes) and a bench. This idea is from Therapeutic Play Activities for Children. For set up, tape the recycled cardboard tubes along the wall near the back […]
As therapists, teachers and parents we have to teach our children. But, don’t forget that children learn through play! Download your copy for inspiration at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/freeplayposter [subscribe2]
Play for young children is crucial to healthy development. Pediatric therapists who work in early childhood education know the importance of play and how to use it to reach IEP goals that are set for specific children. When a child is evaluated for therapy services, the therapist observes the child in the classroom setting. Therapists […]
Parents and therapists recognize the importance of play in children. Through play children develop physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Children with disabilities may have limited access to play due to motor skill delays or other issues. Through guided play sessions, parents and therapists can help children to maximize their play skills. One of the most […]