Starting a conversation about the power of pediatric therapy: part II
What does pediatric therapy actually look like? It can be difficult to find out when many people view therapy in a negative light. Let’s throw the hush-hush culture surrounding therapy out the window! Here at Project Play, we want to be transparent and open about what therapy can look like for your child! In our last blog, we talked about just that. Starting an honest conversation about how therapy can be fun, full of play and enrich the life of your child.
Speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists alike know that children truly engage and learn while playing. Play is a child’s primary occupation! While each type of therapy looks different, they all strive to integrate play into every session.
Each of our three locations (Nashville, Franklin, and Nolensville) are equipped with a sensory gym full of games, swings, trampolines, crash pads, sensory bins and more. Occupational and physical therapists get to utilize these laughter-filled spaces the most! Ball pits can be played in to address tactile sensory issues, swings swung on to address vestibular input, and crash pads used to calm sensory seekers!
Speech-language therapists have the joy of using bubbles, puzzles, crafts, and storytelling in their therapy sessions. These fun tasks work on skills such as helping children produce language, learn new vocabulary, practice a sound they have difficulty saying, and much more!
In therapy, we want to incorporate fun, daily activities to a further your child’s cognitive and physical development through your child’s primary occupation: PLAY.
Why does this matter?
Now we know a little more about what therapy looks like: playful, laughter-filled and engaging. But why does that matter? Why do our pediatric therapists love to make their sessions full of play? Fred Rogers put it best when he said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
This is where children learn the most! In play children learn to be imaginative, they learn how to take turns and cooperate with others. They practice different types of motor skills and strengthen muscles necessary for coordination. Kiddos also pick up new vocabulary while playing, learn how to phrase questions and how to sequence events. The list could go on and on!
While it may seem like a therapy session was full of playtime, therapists certainly have specific goals in mind behind each fun tasks! Parent involvement is a vital part of our therapy model, so if you ever have any questions about an activity feel free to openly asks your therapist.
How have you seen therapy help your child? Did they play while they developed new skills? Let us know by commenting below!