You Want to Build a Playroom and
Wonder Where to Start
When
I began to build my playroom, I was limited to a 10x10 office and a small
suitcase as my portable playroom. I quickly decided less is more and the dual
use of items was the key. There were a few resources to help me choose exactly
which items to acquire for my playroom, and my eyes were always bigger than my
space! I am fortunate to have grown into a separate playroom and a
sandtray/activity room that I share with other play therapists and reflect back
on building my playrooms through sharing my story with you.
A
supervisee came to me and asked “I want to create a play room! Can you help me?”
She was ready to create a safe and comfortable space. I’ve created my own
spaces over the years. Some of you know what it in your play room and why you
have each particular toy/object. It is a journey of thoughtfulness and impulse,
and of necessity and joy to create your own space. As someone begins to wonder
why and how you chose the toys and activities that are used daily in your
playroom, there are serious considerations. Being trained in a variety of
theoretical orientations and the experience in the use of a variety of techniques
from directive and non-directive approaches, allows me to base my choices of
treatment modalities on the child’s particular problem/issue and personality. Therefore,
my playroom may appear different than yours.
Where
does one start except with a list? Which list? This begs the questions, “What
kind of play therapist are you--directive or non-directive or both?” Then, “What
play therapy theoretical orientation is your guide? “Which theory guides you
most of the time?” “How big is your space?” and finally, “How much is your
budget?”
I
have included a table at the end of this article with the toy categories by
orientation with details of items and some pearls of wisdoms from of the
orientation’s major contributor to consider when you are in search for just the
right items.
Garry
Landreth has done an excellent job in sharing exactly what toys are useful in a
play room. Most any play therapist knows the categories of toys used in
child-centered play therapy. In his trainings, he shares a story of one of his
students who purchased a toy for her play room and asked him how she should use
it. A most enlightening question he asked his student and you should consider,
"When choosing a toy, ask yourself, what am I trying to do with this
toy?"
Terry
Kottman, the creator of Adlerian play therapy, shares a list of toys which are
similar in types to the child-centered persuasion but she is more expansive in
the categories and the many items listed are helpful in healing relationships.
Kottman views toys as important in the process of healing for children, but the
most important element of the playroom is the attitude of the therapist
(Kottman, 2002).
Violet
Oaklander and all her wisdom in the development of gestalt play therapy has
some wise advice on creating a play space for children. A Gestalt therapist
will find activities to help children use their senses to develop creative
intervention, motivation, and direction. Body movement is essential whether it
is relaxation and meditation to calm the body or music and fantasy to get the
mind to create stories and art. The body and mind work together toward healing
(Oaklander, 1998).
Developmental
play therapists can feel overwhelmed with all these toys. In fact, toys are
viewed as a distraction in creating a safe space in which the parent/child or
the child/therapist is to focus on the relationship. This is quite
contradictory to some theorists although most people can admit there is no one
best approach just as there are no children alike (Carmichael, 2006).
Viola Brody developed Developmental Play Therapy with the idea that developmental play helps to create a therapeutic relationships through the dialogue of touch. Children draw experiences to themselves to get their needs for caring touch and nurturing physical affection met in their relationships with parents and caregivers. Responding to the child's invitations for caring touch in experiential play sets in motion this dialogue of touch. It is caring touch that initiates the growth and healing process for the child (Brody, 1997).
Theraplay® (Jernberg, 1979) is a developmental play
therapy approach to heal the parent-child attachment. Using fun activities,
instead of toys, in order to create a greater sense of nurturing and
engagement, along with structure and challenge that are necessary to create
attunement with the parent and healing of trauma. These activities can be used
in schools and group settings to develop and enhance the child’s sense of self
and their connection with others.
Other
approaches may not fit so neatly in a non-directive or directive category. The
use of activities may be more directive in some instances and non-directive as
needed.
Ecosystemic
play therapy developed by Kevin O’Connor widens the age range and offers
specific toys for each development age group. He advocates for narrowing child’s
choices to approximately five play items at a time (Carmichael, 2006). The
child’s goal of session is considered when deciding on the play items. It was
interesting to note the age level stops at twelve years of age. This seems very
practical as adolescents sometimes scoff at activities that seem below their
age level. Although many children and teens who seek treatment have
developmental deficits and use the “props” or play therapy toys offered to work
through their issues. Often a play therapist can observe the developmental
level the client is “stuck” based on the chosen toy. At times narrowing choices
is needed to alleviate frustration in younger children. Limiting their choices
to age appropriate activities helps build mastery rather than add to or cause
distress in a child with an eroded sense of self.
Cognitive
behavioral play therapy (CBPT) used a variety of activities, games, workbooks,
story books, are and art to impart knowledge that will create insight about the
situation in which the child finds him or herself (Carmichael, 2006). Knell
(1993) states a therapist’s role is to educate the child about appropriate
behaviors and cognitions about events or situations the child faces.
Psycho-education is an important activity since children view the world based
on their perspective with incorrect or distorted frames of reference based on
their experiences and observations of the world around them.
This
article is not a substitute for learning more about each theoretical
orientation, but a guide of what belongs in your playroom when considering your
professional orientation and if you desire to closely align with a particular
theory of play therapy.
|
Toy
Selection and Materials by Play Theory
|
||||||||
|
Theory
|
Toys and Materials
|
|||||||
|
Adlerian (Kottman)
|
Family/nurturing
toys
|
Scary
toys
|
Aggressive
toys
|
Expressive
toys
|
Pretend/fantasy
toys
|
|||
|
The most important element of the
playroom is the attitude of the therapist.
|
Dolls, dollhouse, food, dishes, and
blanket are used to explore the family constellation and family atmosphere
|
Snakes, rats, alligator, dinosaurs,
insects help the child examine mistaken beliefs, perceived threats, and past
traumas
|
Punching toy, toy soldiers,
handcuffs, and weapons to delve into conrol and trust issues
|
Arts/crafts assist to open up
feelings, family relationships, and expressive creativity
|
Masks, costumes, blocks,
transportation toys, magic wands, telephones, and animals aid in examining
relationships and practicing new behaviors
|
|||
|
Child Centered (Landreth)
|
Real-life toys
|
Acting
out/aggressive toys
|
Creative
expression-emotional release toys
|
|||||
|
"When choosing a toy, ask
yourself, what am I trying to do with this toy?"
|
Dolls, puppets, transportation
toys, dollhouse, kitchen center items, toy store items, and dress up items
|
Bop bag, toy soldiers, aggressive
animal puppets, guns, knives, swords, pounding toys, log with nail and hammer
|
Water, sand, blocks, and art
supplies
|
|||||
|
Theory
|
Toys and Materials
|
|||||||
|
Gestalt Play Therapy (Oaklander)
|
Art
materials
|
Storytelling,
poetry, and puppet materials
|
Musical
instruments
|
Collage
materials
|
Creative/sculpting
materials
|
|||
|
Find activities to help children
use their senses to develop creative intervention, motivation, and direction.
|
Various sizes of paper, crayons,
pastels, colored pencils, finger paints, any other art supplies and various
gadgets used in creative projects
|
Storytelling, poetry, and puppet
materials. Books, writing materials, tape recorder, pictures, projective
tests, puppets, flannel board, sand tray,drawings, open-ended fantasies,
videotapes, walkie-talkies, toy microphone, imaginary TV set
|
Guitar, autoharp, keyboard,
recorded music
|
Paint, string, yarn, fabric scraps,
colored sand, beads, shells, any texture or color appealing to the child
|
Clay and water are essential. Any
moulding materials, wet sand, plastic, wax; nails, hammers, tape, glue,
staples, bolts & nuts; screwdriver, hand drill, coping saw, spray paint
|
|||
|
Developmental (Brody)
|
Furniture
|
Supplies
|
||||||
|
No toys to distract the child from
the relationship with the therapist.
|
Rocking
chair, table, chair and rug
|
Lotion,
crayons, pencils, and paper
|
||||||
|
Theraplay (Jernberg & Booth)
|
Furniture
|
Supplies
|
||||||
|
No toys, only supplies to encourage
parent-child relationship
|
Beanbag
chairs or large pillows
|
Small pillows, lotion, baby powder,
baby bottles, small candies, raisins, water pistols, plastic garbage bags,
bandage strips, straws, beans, crepe paperstrips, newspapers, dressup hats,
necklaces, shaving cream; food: popsicles, small snacks, milk or juice
cartons, watermelon chunks with seeds for spitting.
|
||||||
|
Ecosystemic (O'Connor)
|
Level-I
(age 0-2)
|
Level-II
(age 3-6)
|
Level-III
(age 6-11)
|
Level-IV
(age 11-12)
|
||||
|
Selections by developmental age
group; Select toys that seem best to address the kind of goals the child has
established for the session, about five at a time.
|
Baby bottle, baby blanket, baby
powder and lotion, stuffed animals, and "attention getters" like
colorful balls, blocks, noisemakers, and music intruments; one large ball,
finger paints, and moulding dough, and a empty box
|
Toy telephone, interactive toys,
costumes, miniatures, dishes, pretend
food, appliances, toy replicas of equipment from office, preschool, school,
hospital, and other common places; art materials like ruler, felt-tipped
pens, crayons, large sheets of paper, tempera paints, medium sized brushes,
molding materials; costumes and dress up materials
|
Small people, animals, houses,
cars, dolls, dollhouses, doll family, school-related miniatures,
hospital/medical miniatures; art materials like hardening clay, plastic
connecting construction toys, simple crafts, and board games. Soldier are
controversial unless needed
|
Art materials, construction toys,
model kits, sandtray; find out what the client enjoys to work with &
provide those materials
|
||||
|
Theory
|
Toys and Materials
|
|||
|
Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy
(Knell)
|
Games
|
Bibliotherapy
|
Dollplay
|
Art
|
|
A therapist role is to educate the
child about appropriate behaviors and cognitions about events or situations
the child faces.
|
Board games, card games and charts
|
Stories and recordings that
positively resolve the problem and model expression of the child's feelings;
workbooks and worksheets; child prepared stories and books
|
Action figures, puppets
|
Drawings and sculpting materials
|
References
Brody, V. (1997) The
dialogue of touch. New Jersey: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Carmichael, K. (2006)
Play Therapy: An Introduction. Pearson: New Jersey.
Jernberg, A.
(1999) Theraplay. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Knell, S. (1993) Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy. New York:
Aronson.
Landreth, G. (2002) Toys
and Materials for Play Therapy. Video Presentation from "Making Contact
with Children Through Play
Therapy." Play Therapy Institute, Denton TX.
Oaklander, V. (1988)
Windows to Our Children. New York: The Gestalt Journal Press.
Janet Vessels, MS LPCC
RPT-S is a private practitioner in professional counseling and Owner of Center
for Child and Family Counseling. She has practiced professional counseling for
over fifteen years with children, adolescents and families. Her practice
specialties are play therapy and a variety of trauma therapies including Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
