You may have noticed a new face {er.. name} around the blog lately- Eve Hornstein. Eve is one of the therapists here at Group Therapy Associates. She joined us at the beginning of 2012 and we have been thrilled to have her and her expertise in working with children and their families. Below is a post from Eve on the value of play in the therapeutic setting as well as in day-to-day life with your kids. Leave a comment or a hello for Eve and be sure to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already so you won’t miss any of her future posts!
– Esther
The Power of Play
When working with children, I utilize a variety of therapeutic modalities including play therapy. Parents are sometimes skeptical at first of the value of play in a therapeutic setting until we discuss the importance of play in the daily lives of children. Play allows me to engage with children in a way that creates a safe, supportive environment so that I may help kids with building skills for healthy emotional, social and behavioral development. I recently found a great article on CNN.com explaining exactly what I’m talking here.
Jenn Berman’s article “10 Reasons Play Makes Babies Smarter” is a nice summary of the value of play for children and concisely explains how play makes kids smarter, helps social and impulse control development, reduces stress, improves concentration attention span and memory, aids in physical development, promotes language and literacy, and allows children to voice difficult feelings. Moreover, play increases emotional bonding and connection between parents and children. So, as the days get longer and warmer make it a priority to get outside and take a break from your busy day to play with your children. It’s not just fun- it’s good for you!