“Play is the work of a child” – Maria Montessori
Play is how children learn about themselves, their bodies, and the world around them. Play skills require a child to plan and sequence activities (including NEW activities), problem solve through challenges and generalize skills to new activities, toys, and environments. Did you know there are different forms of play? Pretend, imaginary, constructive, interpersonal, solitary? Consider whether your child is engaging in play effectively to promote healthy development, or whether they may benefit from support from an Occupational Therapist.
Does your child know how to explore new toys? Do they tend to do the same things repeatedly (ie. have only a few favourite toys/activities)? Or perhaps they move from one activity to another quickly. Do they play alone most of the time, or have difficulty initiating conversation with others? Do they have difficulty occupying their time, or problem-solving through challenges?
A child who lacks play skills may have difficulties in group settings, making friends, problem-solving, and developing social and language skills.
What can we do?
Our Occupational Therapists will meet with you to understand your concerns and your child’s play repertoire in other environments. The Occupational Therapist will provide opportunities for play with your child and assess their skills and ability to engage with toys, interactions, etc. We will work with you to create a treatment plan to address play skills and can also use play as a modality to work on other skills too! We can provide direct play therapy with your child, and also connect with you in each session to share strategies and tips for play at home.
Why Butterfly?
At Butterfly, we believe that play is a child’s work, and is essential for their growth and development. We look forward to offering your child new opportunities to play in the clinic with us, while educating you about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of what we are doing to give your child new skills. We make therapy fun, so your child doesn’t realize how hard they’re working! We strive to track your child’s progress and celebrate successes along the way.
To book an assessment or for more information on Play please email info@butterflytherapy.com or call us at 905-206-0300.