It is a difficult to admit, but this mom thing is not easy.
In spite of your best efforts, you simply cannot seem to provide a situation where your four year old daughter is able to play well with others. You have tried everything from informal playgroups to a morning preschool setting, but nothing seems to work. And while you are glad that your only child is finally able to play by herself, without your constant attention and guidance, you are becoming concerned that she simply does not have the social skills of other children her age.
Your friends have tried to be patient, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to get together and take group trips to the zoo, the children’s museum, or even to the park behind your house. Your daughter simply seems to alienate the other children. Whether the other children try to leave your daughter alone or to invite her to join them, she still struggles. You and several of the other mothers have even attempted to sit with the children to facilitate a healthy back and forth play setting, but things rarely end well.
You are finally reaching the realization that it may not be your parenting that is the problem. It appears that your daughter may need some professional help. You have tried purchasing some of the top types of child therapy toys, but you think that working with a professional counselor is the logical next step. Perhaps if you watch a social worker or trained child psychologist work with your child you can pick up some helpful tips. You are hopeful that these professionally recommended toys and methods will provide your daughter the skills that she needs in a nonthreatening setting.
What Types of Child Therapy Toys Have You Tried with Your Son or Daughter?
The fidget spinners that are the latest thing this spring and summer are receiving a lot of attention. In fact, they are so popular that teachers across the country were nearly out of patience with the spinning gadgets when they flew out of someone’s hand and careened across the classroom. These new gadgets may not necessarily be considered the best types of child therapy toys, but they are certainly letting parents know that there is a whole market for toys that help children stay focused and achieve other valuable social skills.
From types of therapy card games to sand tray therapy kits the educational market offers many options for parents who are looking for ways to help their children who struggle to interact with others, or to do more than stare at a video game all day.
Consider some of these statistics about the ways different types of child therapy toys can be beneficial:
- Only 50% of all the four to five year olds diagnosed with ADHD ever receive any kind of behavioral therapy.
- Children use play as a means of communication up until about the age of 12.
- Although beneficial to people of any age, play therapy is especially suited for children between the ages of three and 12.
- 33% of all children will go through a change in the family structure, including divorce or separation, before they even reach the age of 18.
- Recognized as a valuable method for at least 70 years, play therapy has a long history as a means to help children communicate without words.
- Children between the ages of 12 and 17 have a 10% chance of having a serious mental health problem that impacts how they function at school or at home.
Some parents and their children make everything look easy, but if you have a child struggling to interact with others in even the most simple and non threatening settings, you know not everything is as easy as it looks. For some families, purchasing and introducing child therapy toys is a solution. For other families, working with a therapist who can demonstrate the use of toys like sand tray therapy supplies is more helpful. If you are finding it difficult to help your child overcome the challenge of even the smallest social setting, you may have good luck with a play therapist. Summer is the time to give it a try.
