Play Therapy Activities: 101 Play-Based Exercises to Improve Behavior and Strengthen the Parent-Child Connection Paperback – August 11, 2020

To be completely honest, I initially ordered a different book because it was published more recently and had a higher GoodReads rating. However, since there was no information about the inside of that book, I took a chance—and it turned out to be a mistake. I immediately purchased this one instead, and now that I have it in hand, I’m truly impressed.The quality of the paper, printing, and illustrations is excellent, and the organization is thoughtful and user-friendly. What stands out most, though, is how accessible and well-designed the activities are for parents and caregivers without a professional background in play therapy. The book provides clear, practical guidance that’s easy to follow, making it a joy to use.This book is truly a gift for educators and anyone looking to help children through joyful, playful relationship-building and skill development. If I could, I’d give it 10 stars! It’s an invaluable resource that I highly recommend.

As a teacher of young children with trauma as well foster mama to my sweet 5yr old who suffers clinically high levels of anxiety and depression, as well as PTSD, and adjustment disorder, this book is an AMAZING resource!It’s well-written by a registered play therapist who gives great information about the science of play therapy in the first few chapters. The activities are very age appropriate for little ones and honestly much more accessible and applicable than emotional regulation content I’ve boughten from TeachersPayTeachers. I like that the chapters are separated by activity type but every single one of them helps foster that connection between caregiver and child. My foster son loves the worry jar activity. He chose the color blue to represent worry so we covered a small cardboard box in blue paper then decorated the outside. When he’s really upset about something, he grabs a scrap of blue paper and either says the worry aloud or draws it then crumples the worry and puts it in the box to get it out of his mind. He even decided to make a “happy box” to fill with good things he likes about his day. I’ve boughten several books to help strengthen his emotional awareness and bond with me, as well as to work on coping skills. This is my favorite so far. We’ve done at least 10 activities and he has responded well to all. Every time we do one I get that warm fuzzy feeling of connection with him in my heart too! I love that I can see him learning to cope better through the activities and strategies in this book. I’ve used several of the breathing techniques with students in my first grade class and they benefit from them as well.

I really appreciate the wealth of activities presented here. The activities are fun and engaging without being hard to accomplish. Very parent-child friendly.

As a play therapist, I have loved using this book as a guide to my therapy sessions. I definitely recommend using this book to guide you if you are new to play therapy or an attachment based approach. At times i think it could do a better job of explaining more psycho education behind the exercise. But overall is good for brainstorming new activities with parents and their children!

Great book with helpful ideas.

This book is incredibly helpful for everyone. Literally everyone could find good use reading and applying techniques with every day communication. I’ve found that play therapy helps me to be more patient and empathetic with my son and allows him the freedom to be playful and express his emotions in a healthy manner. I’ve used some techniques with my boyfriend unbeknownst to him and that’s strengthen our relationship. I’ve also used the information I have learned in my work and I have been able to distinguish why people behave certain ways and how I can react to help them modify and realize their insolent and erratic outbursts. It’s so true that everyone needs play to grow and I strongly believe in the benefits this book can yield for everyone of all ages!!

If you have any experience with children or access to blogs/Pinterest/internet, this may not be the book for you. Secret handshakes and nature walks aren’t exactly ground breaking ideas. I was disappointed with the play therapy activities overall. I also thought there would be more correlation between negative behaviors you are helping your child through and the activities.

The media could not be loaded. This book is sweet and engaging for every parent and child. Especially fun in evenings when most kids just need a breather from the long day.