Learning Through Play: How Clinicians Use Play-Based Therapy to Foster Child Development

In the realm of pediatric therapy, the concept of learning through play has gained significant traction. Highlighting its effectiveness in fostering developmental milestones, clinicians are embracing this approach. OT’s, SLP’s, and PT’s are crafting therapeutic offerings that harness the power of play to promote learning and growth in children. This blog post delves into the innovative ways these healthcare professionals are integrating play-based principles into their therapy practices, by creating engaging and impactful experiences that support child development.

The therapeutic landscape for children is undergoing a transformative shift as clinicians increasingly adopt the principles of learning through play.

By specifically designing activities that are not only enjoyable but also educational, professionals are thus creating a dynamic and effective framework for child development. Significantly, through structured play sessions that target specific developmental goals, children are learning through play and growing in a supportive, fun environment. This blog post showcases inspiring stories of clinicians who are championing play-based therapy to enhance the learning and developmental journeys of children.

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“My name is Munira, I’m a Paediatric OT and I have a program called Foundations for Writing that uses the No Writing Way to help kids write. This is a play-based way to help neurodivergent kids feel good in their bodies. It helps them develop their underlying sensory and motor skills. Significantly, it is also a way to honor their inner knowing and self-directed autonomy. We indeed need to trust that kids can learn and be directed by their play to write. Foundation for Writing is a 10-week online program for parents that has been running for four years, serving around 250 people.”


“When families first walk into our classroom, they always say “This! This is what kindergarten should look like.”

“My name is Kyla and I am definitely, by all means, a movement and play based learning promoter! The “program” I create in our classroom is for kindergarten students inside our public elementary school. By intimately knowing the needs and interests of my students, I consequently create learning experiences based around them and the district/state standards. My goal is to help people realize, ultimately, that children need play, and not just in preschool.

School-aged children, even all the way up to our fifth graders in our school, love coming into our classroom to play because of the interesting materials we have and the gymnastics/climbing/playhouse equipment I have in our classroom. Children are encouraged to share their learning with families via the SeeSaw app.”


“My name is Vivian Jones and I am the director of Student Services at a Forest School. It is an outdoor school where we plan and run our programs with sensory input. At the same time we increase the needs and benefits for outdoor play time, movement and sensory adaptations to curriculum. The focus at the Forest School is outdoor learning, faith, physical activity and academics.” 


Badge for play promoter award
*Note: The individuals and playgroup stories featured in this blog post were taken from applications to the Play Promoter Prize 2024:  https://precisioncpd.com/award/