How Play Therapy Can Help Boost Performance at School

November is the dreaded month where many children receive their report cards and parents start meeting with teachers for the first or second round of parent-teacher conferences. Often, this results in a consultation with a child behavior psychologist in Littleton to talk about behavior, grades, and social skills. While all parents want their children to succeed, some kids just can’t get one or more of these important elements together, making parents wonder “how can I help my child succeed?” Fortunately, play therapy can help  with young children and even some older ones at times. Read on to find out how!

Behavior

The biggest concern that most parents have for their elementary school students is behavior issues. Many parents seek out children’s play therapy in Highlands Ranch to address issues of aggression, anger, sadness, anxiety, and all the “acting out” that comes along with it. Whether your child is poking peers with pencils, bouncing around the room like a jackrabbit, or too scared to walk through the door, play therapy can be a safe place for her to explore her feelings and practice acting in a different way. Instead of making the child herself do these actions, play therapy starts a step back. Puppets, dolls, or even Lego people can take the pressure as children learn tools to feel stronger, control impulses, and keep disruption to a minimum. These skills carry over into real life as well.

Grades and Academics

While therapy is not about teaching academic skills, the skills that your child will learn while working with a play therapist in Littleton will help him to develop the tools he needs to succeed. Through play, your child may express that he does not feel like his work is good enough to turn in, or he might reveal being teased for being the “teacher’s pet.” Whatever is holding your child back will be easier to express through play.

Social Skills

Nobody likes talking about the things they do wrong, especially in social situations. Even young children can identify these experiences as “so embarrassing!” Instead, exploring the social skills of toys or playing socialization games can help children make up for this challenge in a way that is non-threatening and effective. See our tips for building social skills  for more ideas!

Play therapy is generally used with younger children, in the 3-12 year old age range, but can sometimes be good tools for teens who struggle with verbal communication or are unwilling to engage in traditional talk therapy. From the time humans are infants, we explore the “real world” through the safety of play; using this in a therapeutic setting can have powerful benefits.