The Power of Play: Child Engagement and Participation in OT

You may have heard the expression "learning through play". 

Occupational therapists love to be playful but is that the same as encouraging learning through play? 

I've talked about play on the blog before.  Have a read of "Why is my OT 'just playing' when they see an occupational therapist" to find out more about how play is a childhood occupation, how OTs use play in therapy and how we analyze activities to find a just-right challenge. You can also read about a  "Just-right challenge" here.

Occupational therapists use play for engagement of the child, connection and participation.  We may have goals in mind but we need to build a relationship and rapport first.  For some children, simply turning up is enough to build rapport but for others it can be a little harder. 

Play is "client-centered" which means that it is led by the child and is intrinsically motivating.  They want to do it.The OT will share the play experience and engage with the child to encourage interaction.  Through play; the child may develop skills with imaginary play sequences, object substitution ( ie. using a non-real object and pretending it is something else), sharing roles and social interaction. 

Once rapport and a connection is built, the occupational therapist may guide the interaction to work towards other goals (such as fine motor manipulation, gross motor skills, scissor skills, pencil control).  This may happen within a session or it could take weeks or months to occur. 

Today, I'm sharing two play experiences that I've had recently with some young friends (both age 5 years with ASD). Hooray for a return to some face-to-face in-person OT sessions!

1. Campfire (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE). 
This was the second OT session with this child after an initial session which wasn't as smooth.

2. Pacman (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE).
I have known this child for more than a year, however therapy has been disrupted due to lockdown. 

Being able to engage with a child and connecting with them isn't always easy.  When a child perceives that they are going to have difficulty with  a task; their instinct may be to run away or withdraw. They may want to do the task but are not happy to accept help.  They may become fixated with a particular idea, toy or activity; refusing to move onto something else. 

What engages one child to participate may not engage another child. 

Some children that we see for occupational therapy struggle with play.  They may be developmentally delayed and unsure of what to do with toys.  They may have difficulty with interacting with other children or adults. OTs use play with these children too, however it may look a little different to the examples listed in this blog post.  There may be simpler play sequences or just one idea.  There may be more imitation and copying. There may be more repetition. 

Would you like to find out more about play?  Try these...

• How the natural world enriches and supports the developing child.
• The importance of playing with puppets.
• Purpose of Play according to age.

The power and value of play can not be underestimated or undervalued.  Learning through play IS important.  Whether you are a parent, educator or occupational therapist... we (I) can be reminded about the value of play, a child's occupation.  

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
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