Learn To Play

Process (day 2)
By Christal Lau
• Why pretend play (hardest, involves all brain development)
• Theory of Mind (how children lies)
 IMPORTANT

• We create a safe environment and a feeling of safety within the child

• Maybe on the floor a lot
• You are not ‘secure’ in total control, but monitoring where the play is
going.
• Aim for the child to self-initiate
• So we are modeling play at the child’s level of play
• We are responding to the child
• Self-initiate of play indicates a child understands the intentionality of the play
• Child will then transfer those skills to other settings, without you
• i.e. Can use 2 sets of toys so they can play along
 DEMONSTRATION

• Demonstration
• How I talk
• Use my facial expression
• Use my body

• The activity has 2 sections:

• Section 1 is what NOT to do
• Section 2 is demonstration of the principles for
Learn to Play
 SECTION 1 – WHAT YOU DO NOT DO

• I spoke too fast

• I didn’t let you feel like I was interested. I was distracted
• My facial expression was flat, it showed I didn’t like to play with you, I was bored, I
wanted this to be over.
• My vocal tone was flat and monotonous – again showed no interest in you
• I asked a lot of questions – quickly
• I gave no interest in what you were doing – I didn’t look in your direction or look at
the toys
SECTION 2 WHAT YOU DO IN LEARN TO PLAY

• I used my facial expression, I used my eyes, I smiled

• I used my voice to express ‘play’, and emotions of my character
• Using my character maybe less threatening to you because it doesn’t change, and it is
fun and non judgmental (ASD children)
• I didn’t ask questions (non demanding and non judgmental)
• I tracked what I was doing in the play (a skill we will cover later today)
• I paced the session so you could keep up and looked at you to see how you were
interacting and if you understood
• I play BESIDE you
• Unconditional Positive Regards (UPR)
 BASIC PRINCIPLES

• Start Simple
• Emotionally engage the child
• You play (model the play) co play
• Focused attention
• Repetition with variation - minimum of 3 times – up to 25 times
• Pretend play skills, eg object substitution
• Talk about the play
• You are always working on several skills at once
• Respond to the child
• If child not coping, lower developmental level or remove some of the toys
• Allow opportunity for the child to initiate ideas in play scene
• When child is ready, add a challenge
 NEUROPLASTICITY PRINCIPLES

• 1. Focused attention
• 2. Starting simple = where the child’s development is = zone of proximal (ZOP)
• 3. Repetition with variation
• 4. Pretend play, language and social skills ‘fire together’
• 5. Use of symbols – higher abstract thought
• 6. Play is relevant to a child’s daily life = meaningful
• 7. Child initiated
 REPETITION WITH VARIATION

• Critical in early stages of children

• You are enthusiastic about playing (filial play therapy)
• Assists in focused attention
• Talk about the play while playing
DEMONSTRATION (CHRISTAL PLAY CHLOE TRACK)

• The play activities are based on a 19-23 month level

• Play scripts: body and in home scripts
• Sequences: one action (with maybe 1 other action but not
expecting any logical sequence)
• Doll / Teddy: one action related to the toy
• Object Substitution: 1 O.S. with physically similar features to
intended objects.
 LEVEL 1

• Children with very little play ability

• Emphasis on engaging the child
• Encourage the child to imitate
• Lots of repetition with variation
• Variety on same level (more play ideas)
• Large truck, large dolls
• 5 activities per session (hide toys)
• Only add or change toys if play direction changes (use the chance to
prompt express of request)
• Limited amount of toys and objects
• Challenge when child is ready
 LEVEL 2

• Starting to Understand Play

• Extend sequences (repetition with variation)
• Play activities with ‘natural’ repetition. (eg. Shops, birthday, farm, café)
• Variety on same level (more play ideas)
• 3 activities per session
• Expand amount of toys & objects
• Challenge
• Play materials (Boxes, cloth, corks, sticks, interesting objects, play
doh)
 LEVEL 3

• Knows how to Play

• Extend sequences
• Variety of play themes and ability to add
• Doll house, car mat, garage, fire station, police station, boat
• 1 activities per session
• Expand amount of toys & objects (sea animals, small figurines,
puppets, cash register, doctors kit, cooking set)
• Challenge with problems to narrative
• Fantasy toys (Elves, King, Queen, Dinosaurs, Dragons)
 ENGAGING ACTIVITIES FOR PLAY
(PRE-PRETEND PLAY)

• Peek-a-boo
• Water play
• Bubbles
• Large ball
• Cars up and down road
• Music (songs) / dancing
• Tunnel game (teddy goes in tunnel)
• Cutting wooden food
 ACTIVITY

• Groups
• Each have a turn
• One manipulates their play materials (4 action sequences)
• The other track what they are doing (literal)
• Say what you see
• NO QUESTION
Q &A