Play and recreation are a natural part of childhood, and vital to normal development. Children are able to learn, master experiences, express themselves, cope with anxiety, create, achieve, and develop skills through play and recreational activity.

Play also helps children learn to adapt to the healthcare experience. Play and recreation can be therapeutic by giving children the opportunity to explore, express and process their healthcare experiences in a safe, non-threatening environment.

Medical play is a commonly used therapeutic activity in which children use medical themes and materials in their play. By observing children’s play and recreation, adults can learn about the child’s feelings, fears, concerns and misconceptions – information that is crucial in helping children deal with their healthcare experience.

Types of play in the healthcare setting

• Diversional/recreational play: commonly used for personal enjoyment, to combat boredom, and to facilitate normalization
• Developmentally supportive play: supports any and all aspects of the child’s development
• Therapeutic play: facilitates expression, coping and mastery of the healthcare experience and helps to facilitate achievement of healthcare goals.

Tips for playing with your child by age

Infant

• Listening to music such as lullabies
• Providing familiar toys and objects from home such as stuffed animals, music, blankets and rattles
• Creating a visually stimulating environment during an inpatient stay with mirrors, mobiles and brightly colored crib toys
• Offering rattles, rings and keys
• Placing toys to encourage kicking, rolling and crawling
• Playing peek-a-boo

Toddler

• Providing familiar toys and objects such as stuffed animals, movies, music and blankets
• Listening to favorite music
• Watching favorite movies or cartoons
• Scribbling with crayons and paper
• Stacking blocks
• Reading books with adults
• Bouncing, throwing and kicking a ball
• Sculpting with play dough
• Painting
• Hammering, pounding or crashing toys
• Playing peek-a-boo

Preschool

• Bringing familiar toys and objects such as blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, dolls, movies, music and clothes
• Listening to favorite music
• Watching favorite movies or cartoons
• Playing board games such as CANDYLAND, CHUTES AND LADDERS and MEMORY.
• Drawing with crayons and paper
• Reading with an adult
• Counting objects
• Building with blocks
• Bouncing, throwing and kicking balls
• Cutting and gluing with scissors and paper
• Participating in group activities with peers
• Pounding, hammering and crashing toys
• Crafting with play dough, painting and drawing
• Playing with puppets and dolls, and playing house
• Playing with water and sand

School-age

• Bringing familiar toys and objects such as blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, dolls, movies, music and clothes
• Listening to favorite music
• Watching favorite movies or cartoons
• Playing board games
• Playing card games
• Playing video games
• Reading
• Putting together puzzles
• Doing arts and crafts
• Cooking
• Participating in group activities with peers
• Sculpting with play dough and clay
• Keeping journals and scrapbooks

Adolescent

• Bringing familiar toys and objects such as blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, music, movies and clothing
• Listening to favorite music
• Watching favorite movies
• Playing board games
• Playing card games
• Playing video games
• Participating in group activities, such as art, cooking and game tournaments, with peers
• Writing in journals and creating scrapbooks
• Writing poems and stories
• Using computers