Engaging your Child
Play-based Therapy
Therapy that is playful will be more engaging for your child.
What is play? It is joyful and fun, meaningful, and intrinsically motivating, meaning that it is done because it is personally rewarding.
What does play look like? Play involves taking part and feeling included. Play involves having choice and achieving a meaningful goal.
How do I engage my child in play-based therapy?
You can engage your child by being engaged yourself. Give your child your full attention.
Toy selection and presentation is also important for keeping your child engaged and motivated to use their assisting hand. You want your child to feel successful as well as challenged. Here are things to consider:
-
Choose toys that are developmentally appropriate, meaning toys that match your child’s social and physical skills
-
Choose toys that your child can easily grasp/interact with
-
Choose some toys that are just a bit challenging for your child
-
Place toys so your child can easily grasp/reach them
-
Show interest/excitement when your child interacts with toys
Your therapy team can help you identify toys that are a good match for your child.
How do I know if my child is engaged?
Therapy will be most successful if your child is engaged in the activities. You will be trying new activities with your child. To know if he/she is engaged, you will watch for non-verbal cues. Some are more obvious than others. Below is a list of cues that many children use. You may notice your child using other cues.
A disengagement cue can mean that it’s time to change the activity, or that it’s time to take a break. Remember, practice can be in short time blocks. If your child is disengaged, plan another practice block later in the day.
Engagement Cues
"I like this"
- Stops moving
- Gazes intently at the object
- Reaches out to the object
- Turns head or eyes to the object
- Stretches fingers or toes towards you/object
- Smiles
- Coos
- Has eyes wide open
- Has a brightened face
- Raises head
Child showing engagement cues
Disengagement Cues
“I don’t like this/I need a break”
- Turns eyes away
- Turns head away
- Cries or becomes fussy
- Burps, hiccups, passes gas
- Has droopy eyelids
- Falls asleep
- Squirms away
- Yawns
- Places hand in mouth
- Frowns
- Has dull-looking eyes
- Wrinkles forehead
Child showing disengagement cues
Do I need an exact plan for each practice?
Your child may or may not do the exact activity you had planned. That’s okay. Therapy will be more successful and fun if you follow your child’s lead. Following your child’s lead will help keep your child engaged. You can follow her/his lead by:
- Watch: quietly observe your child’s interests and cues.
- Wait: give your child time to explore or create an activity.
- Follow: copy what your child is doing.
Following your child’s lead shows your child that you are both interested in the same thing.
How do I make changes to activities?
Sometimes, you may need to modify the activity to engage your child. Below are some examples. Your therapy team can help problem-solve ways to engage your child.
| Things my child doesn't like | Things I tried in response to disengagement cues | How my child responds |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching for objects with her assisting hand | I only tried reaching activities for 5 minutes instead of 20 | She did not cry this time |
| Stacking blocks with his assisting hand | I encouraged him to knock over the blocks after stacking | He did not give up stacking the blocks as quickly |
| Using both hands together | I sang action songs (“if you’re happy and you know it”) | She clapped on her own a few times |
