And while most of my work with kids has involved more books than toys, there is some truth to that refrain.
Because the work of young children IS play! Playing is how young children interact with and learn from the world. Building language skills in children does, indeed, involve a lot of play.
But building language through play involves more planning and thought than you might think. Play therapy involves creating an episode that unfolds; proceeds along a sequence, follows a set of actions that produces memorable experiences in the child's mind. These memories are what help to cement in the child's mind the language attached to them.
Much of our teaching, especially in language and narrative development, involves highlighting experiences that have emotion attached to them, so that children remember them and build language sets around them.
When using toys and games in therapy, we're always modeling the language we want to build, providing new vocabulary, expanding the child's responses to that next step up, and wearing that ever-popular "expectant look" that tells the child we're waiting for them to do/say something.
But play therapy does not only happen with young children. Many students with more complex needs - such as those with autism - often haven't had the same kinds of play experiences as their typical peers. They may not know how to play, and often have difficulty with the interactions involved in playing with another.
For these students it is important to teach them not only the language of the activity, but also social language and turn taking. Often, I am simply teaching the child to ask for "more," or "help," or to make it "go."
Playing is a crucial piece in teaching children to develop the language skills they need for life. Embrace it.
Keep on talking!
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