Why Play Therapy Works: The Science and Purpose of Play in Child Therapy

Last Updated: January 29, 2026

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
— Fred Rogers

Let’s trust Mr. Rogers that play is actually serious business. 

And in play therapy, before we can talk about techniques, interventions, what toys you should stock up on, or even treatment goals, we have to understand why play matters so much in child therapy. 

It sets the stage for everything else.

“But Are We Really Doing the Work?” A Question Every Child Therapist Asks

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether playing with a child in session is actually therapeutic, you’re not alone.  Learn more about “just playing” vs. play therapy. 

This question comes up constantly—especially for newer therapists. In grad school we’re trained in models that rely heavily on insight, reflection, and verbal processing.

So when a session looks like sand, toys, art supplies, or sword fights, it’s easy to wonder:

Is this really doing anything?
Are symptoms actually improving?
Am I helping—or just filling time?

These doubts don’t mean you’re doing something wrong. They mean you care deeply about your work. AND you likely weren't officially taught or trained in play therapy theories and models.

What I Wish I Had Known as a New Therapist Working With Children

I still remember sitting across from the very first children I worked with as a school-based therapist.

I would ask, “How was your week?”

And then feel genuinely surprised by how disconnected their answers were from what parents and teachers were reporting.

The kid that just told me they had a “great day” had actually had a giant meltdown and flipped a desk before lunch. The kid that told me they were sleeping “sooo good” at night had climbed into their parents bed every night for the past three weeks. 

I tried to apply everything I had just learned in graduate school, but something wasn’t landing.

I quickly realized: I needed more than talk.

But I also felt stuck.

If I was playing with a child, was there any real work being done? Or was I missing something critical? I didn’t yet have the framework to understand how play functioned as a therapeutic language.

RELATED RESOURCE: Learn more about how I got started as a play therapist 

Why Working With Children Requires an Entirely Different Therapeutic Language

Let’s be honest—newly graduated therapists often find jobs working with children more easily.
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But children are also the population that requires us to stretch the most.  I truly consider working with children a specialty in our field.  

When you work with kids, you’re immediately asked to:

• Step outside your comfort zone
• Understand multiple levels of brain development
• Hold the needs of the child and the systems they belong to
• Translate therapeutic work to parents, teachers, and administrators

It can feel overwhelming to realize that your diploma didn’t fully prepare you for this work.

And yet—once you push through that learning curve?

It. Is. Amazing.

There are few things more powerful than watching a child grow into their strengths, develop confidence, and begin to make sense of their world. And yes—there are days with sand, crowns, art, and laughter woven into serious, meaningful work.

Have I accidentally worn my tiara into the waiting room a time or two? Absolutely yes. 

The Neurobiology of Play: How Children Process Emotions and Experience

This is where things really start to make sense.

Children do not yet have the abstract reasoning abilities or verbal processing skills required for traditional talk therapy. They cannot consistently name, reflect on, or articulate their inner emotional experiences through words alone.

Why Talk Therapy Alone Doesn’t Work for Children

​Talk-based approaches assume a level of cognitive and emotional development that children simply don’t have yet. Expecting children to process emotions verbally is often asking them to use tools that haven’t fully developed.

And for some kids? Actually talking about the big things can feel risky and unsafe - they will intentionally lie (not because they are bad kids) but as a way to avoid discomfort, flooding, and shame spirals. And therapy that relies fully on talking, often can be uncomfortable and ineffective. 

Right-Brain Development and Emotional Processing

Children develop the right hemisphere of the brain first—the part responsible for emotion, imagery, and nonverbal experience. This is where feelings live. This is also where memories and experiences are stored.

Play as the Bridge Between Experience and Expression 

Play provides a bridge between concrete experience and abstract thought.

Through play, children can:

• Express emotions visually and symbolically
• Work through experiences that feel overwhelming to talk about
• Experiment with new ways of responding to their world
• Integrate difficult experiences safely

Play becomes the language through which children communicate what they cannot yet say.

In the words of Garry Landreth - "Toys are children's words and play is their language". 

PLAY THERAPY TOOLKIT: Play Therapy: The Art of The Relationship 

Meet Andrew + Andrés

If you need a simple (and honestly hilarious) reason for why children need play therapy rather than talk therapy, the Association for Play Therapy’s Meet Andrew + Meet Andrés video captures it perfectly. And in under 2 minutes? It’s totally worth your time. 

It brings home the point that talking isn’t how children actually process or communicate their experiences. When we expect kids to talk like adults, we miss their real language. Play therapy meets children where they are developmentally and gives them a way to express what words cannot.

AND it’s an amazing tool to use when talking with parents about play therapy! 

Is Play Therapy Evidence-Based? Here’s What the Research and Clinical Practice Show

Play therapy is supported by a growing and meaningful body of research, and research is an essential part of the play therapy profession.  
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PLAY THERAPY TOOLKIT: International Journal of Play Therapy

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) encourages high-quality research that demonstrates the effectiveness of play therapy across diverse populations, settings, and developmental stages, while also advancing clinical skill, training, and ethical practice.

At the same time, it’s important to be precise in how we use the term evidence-based. Not all play therapy approaches have the same level of research support and an evidence-based theory or model is different than having research support. 

Several models—including Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), Child-Centered Group Play Therapy, and Theraplay—have been reviewed by national and state clearinghouses and are currently rated at promising levels of evidence.

In addition, many well-established, evidence-based child mental health interventions incorporate play-based components, such as Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy. 

Research in play therapy continues to evolve, and as the field grows, so does the evidence. Understanding this research allows play therapists to practice ethically, communicate confidently with parents and systems, and advocate for the powerful work they do with children.

Research and clinical outcomes consistently show that play therapy supports:

• Emotional regulation
• Trauma processing and integration
• Attachment and relational repair
• Reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and behavioral concerns
  
  

Play is not an “extra.”

It is the mechanism of change.
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And it has the added benefit of being engaging and developmentally appropriate—which means children are more likely to participate fully in the therapeutic process.

Play Therapy Is Not “Just Playing”: What Makes Play Therapeutic

Play therapy is not:

• Random
  
• Passive
  
• Babysitting
  
• Avoidance of real work
  
  

Therapeutic play is intentional, attuned, and grounded in theory. It is supported by training, supervision, and a deep understanding of child development.

This is why play therapy requires education, practice, and ongoing consultation.

From Playing to Practicing Play Therapy With Confidence

The journey from play to Play Therapist doesn’t happen overnight.

It requires:

• Specialized training
• Supervision
• Practice
• A willingness to keep learning
  
  

If you’re on the path toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist—congratulations!

If you’re just beginning to explore play therapy—welcome!
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RELATED RESOURCE: How to Become A Registered Play Therapist + RPT Tracking Guide 

PLAY THERAPY TOOLKIT: 125+ Free Play Therapy Resources 
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Learn more about Play Therapy Supervision and Play Therapy Supervision.

Your Why Matters: Why We Choose to Do This Work With Children

Working with children asks a lot of us—but it also gives back in profound ways.

So I’ll leave you with this question:

What is your why for playing?

I’d love to hear it in the comments.

​And if you’d like to stay connected and continue learning about play therapy, child development, and building confidence in your work with kids— join my email list below for resource, tools, and support sent straight to your inbox! 

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