The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 1 of 11 CHM Child Life Services Department Detroit Medical Center© May, 2007 The Importance of Play in the Hospital

Page 2 of 11 Play Fosters Normal Growth and Development Play is important for all areas of child development: Physical Emotional Social Intellectual

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 3 of 11 Play Helps Children Cope with Stress and Anxiety Play normalizes the situation for children Children often choose games and toys with which they are familiar with from home The discovery that they can play in the hospital is reassuring for many children – they are good at play

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 4 of 11 Play Allows for Mastery and Control Children are often asked to be passive in the hospital environment, having many decisions being made for them Play allows children to make many choices for themselves – you can facilitate this with numerous opportunities

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 5 of 11 Play Allows for Self-Expression Art, drama and all play should be child-directed How play materials are handled, facial expressions, and the content of dramatic play are expressions of feelings Through play a child will communicate and learn about themselves and their world

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 6 of 11 Infants (0 – 1) Like to: Be held, cuddled, touched, and rocked Hear you talk and sing Have eye contact Grasp objects such as rattles Follow bright colors See funny faces and changing expressions Repeat sounds Watch other children Play peek-a-boo and clap their hands Look into mirrors

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 7 of 11 Toddlers (1 – 3) Like to: Walk and climb Throw and drop objects for you to pick-up Put things in their mouth Push, pull and tug toys Listen to music and dance Build a tower of things such as blocks Pound-on things such as children’s drums or workbench Put together large, simple puzzles Play and talk on toy telephone Blow bubbles

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 8 of 11 Preschoolers (4 – 5) Like: To have choices Opportunities to learn Encouragement and praise Pretend play and games Listening to story books Arts and crafts Simple puzzles Playing with telephones Playing with musical instruments

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 9 of 11 School-age (6 – 12) Like: Board and card games Arts and crafts Movies and CDs Journals and scrapbooking Computer games Puzzles Beading You to provide choices You to respect privacy

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 10 of 11 Teenagers (13 and up) Like: Board and card games Arts and crafts Computers Teen/sports magazines Movies and CDs Journals and scrapbooking Peer contact To be allowed to express feelings Privacy respected To be listened to and taken seriously

The Importance of Play in the Hospital Page 11 of 11 We hope this NetLearning course has been both informative and helpful. Feel free to review this course until you are confident about your knowledge of the material presented. Click the Take Test button on the left side when you are ready to complete the requirements for this course. Click on the My Records button to return to your CBL Courses to Complete list. Click the Exit button on the left to close the Student Interface. Summary: