Butterfly Play - Schools/Therapists

Why does my school need a play consultant?

Many children love coming to school and especially enjoy play time and the social opportunity it brings. As classroom teachers and educational therapists, sometimes we find the children in our care have difficulty with socializing and play time. At times this stems from a lack of social skills but is often times linked to a lack of play skills. How can we expect a child to play with others if they don’t know how to play or there play skills are not developmentally appropriate?

Studies have shown Play skills are very strongly linked with academic success. This is because play involves social skills, problem solving, flexibility, creative thinking, perseverance, impulse control, and focus. These skills are the building blocks of academic as well as success in life.

Play may seem simple but is actually a very complex skill with many moving parts. For a child to build a zoo out of blocks he needs to plan by choosing animals and blocks, build which may fall over which takes perseverance and focus, trial and error, problem solve when he doesn’t have as many blocks as he thought, and creative thinking to plan out which animals go where. At the end he will feel successful and confidence in his ability to create and accomplish his goals. Add a friend building beside him into the mix and there are a whole additional set of skills that need to be used. Negotiating, cooperation, communication, listening and accepting others ideas, dealing with frustration, and making eye contact are just some of the skills needed in this seemingly simple task.

As a former classroom teacher I understand the work and challenges our dedicated teachers face and work within the classroom framework to maximize each child’s potential.

As a special educator I strongly believe it is possible to reach every child and help them learn. Often times having a positive relationship is pivotal to the learning process. One of the best ways to do this is by engaging with our students on their level with their interests. Play gives us a direct line to student engagement.

What I do:

I work with teachers to set up their classrooms and play time to maximize play based skills.

Work 1:1 with students or in small groups to build up play and social emotional skills.

Assess students play based skills and create a plan with measurable goals.

I work with therapists to utilize play as a tool to build up social-emotional skills in students.

I give you tools to assess your students play levels and determine how to meet their needs.

What you gain:

Guidance to set up your classroom and play time in a way that will be calmer and help all your students learn

Specific manageable techniques to build up the academic and social skills of your students through play

Personal attention and guidance for the students who are suffering socially and behaviorally

A greater understanding of how to teach and use play skills.