The importance of play in the school environment

The wonderful thing about children is that they don’t let their imaginations get hampered by the constraints of reality.

This article was originally published by Dr Nicole Quiterio, Consultant Psychiatrist in October 2022. This article was reviewed and updated by Hannah Longley, Komodo Psychotherapist in October 2024

‍

{{justify}}
Children often see the world around them as exciting and new. They see an ordinary sofa or couch in the lounge as the basis of an ingenious spacecraft capable of swiftly crossing several galaxies traveling at the speed of light. A regular backyard becomes shaped into the trendiest restaurant with all kinds of fascinating food combinations not usually available in the restaurant and hospitality sector. Children are able to size up their siblings and peers and try things without fear. Even when we look into adolescence, we see glimpses of their imagination and creativity although pressures from adults may start to dampen their extraordinary thinking. We see some young people who dare to dream, are innovative and push boundaries in new and useful ways. All of these stages are part of the normal developmental process and is essential in order for children to thrive. 

{{justify}}

In the 1970s, Sheila Eyberg developed Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which is a combination of play and behavioural therapy. PCIT can benefit parents and caregivers. It focusses on authoritative parenting and teaches parents to have a balanced mix of responsiveness and nurturance with clear communication and boundaries. Whilst PCIT was designed to support parent-child interaction and relationships, many of the skills taught in this process are beneficial for teachers, educators, counsellors, and anyone who supports young people. 

‍Child or student directed activities

{{justify}}

Child-directed play is a concept initially proposed as part of PCIT. Child-directed play encourages caregivers to let their child play in a free, self-directed way. The caregivers role is to let the child lead, while noticing, offering encouragement and boundaries, without being direct or controlling the play. The aim is to encourage the child's creative process, as it is through free play they learn and grow; self-directed play enables the child to develop skills such as problem solving and self esteem. Whilst PCIT was designed to support parent-child interaction and relationships, many of the skills taught in this process are beneficial for teachers, educators, counsellors, and anyone who supports young people. When parents or teachers actively participate alongside the child, research shows a stronger emotional bond with the young person. The child feels that the parent or teacher trusts their ideas and decisions, leading to more confidence in their abilities and skills.

{{justify}}
Consider this in the classroom. Many activities rely on students following instructions and boundaries. What if you were to include more student directed activities? How would this change your relationship with your students? Would this further develop their executive functioning skills?

P-R-I-D-E skills

{{justify}}

PCIT makes use of the acronym “P-R-I-D-E” skills to help parents or caregivers remember the key interactions when engaging in child-directed play. When engaging in student directed activities, consider how you could make use of the PCIT PRIDE skills. 

Below are some child-parent/caregiver and student-teacher examples. 

‍

Praise

{{justify}}

Praising appropriate behaviour of the young person. You are acknowledging their hard work and creativity. Be sure to be descriptive and name what behaviour or action you want to see more. We may also want to take this as a moment to show gratitude or appreciation. While external validation is nice to receive, we want to encourage internal validation also, therefore it is important to praise qualities and values of a person, not just skills. 

Example: Thank you for your participation in class today. You asked some really interesting questions and had some really good insights.

‍

Reflection

{{justify}}

Reflecting back what the young person has said to you, or what you have seen. Stay observant, and try to avoid offering your own interpretation of what you are seeing. 

Example: I noticed you weren't able to complete your worksheet today. I'm wondering how you are finding the work?

‍

Imitation

{{justify}}

Follow the young person’s lead. Let them lead and direct the activity, and follow along. Allow them to name, create and narrate. This shows you are engaged with them. 

Example: I will colour in my picture using those colours too, once you are finished with them.

‍

Description

{{justify}}

Describe what the young person is doing. This fosters attention and connection during play. Try to avoid placing any judgements at this time. 

Example: I see you have coloured your flowers in blue

‍

Enthusiasm

{{justify}}

Show interest in playing with the young person. This demonstrates you enjoy spending time with them. This is also a good time to show gratitude and appreciation, again remembering to focus on the childs values, as this serves to build internal validation. 

Example: I really enjoyed drawing with you today. Thank you for sharing your crayons with me. 

{{HR}}
{{justify}}

Each step can be independent, or the steps can complement and follow on from one another. It is important to consider the child and factors such as their age and emotional capacity, and adjust your application accordingly. 

In a busy classroom, there are times where these steps may be forgotten, or may not feel important. However, research has shown that using PRIDE skills increases relationship cohesion and helps in child development, when done regularly. See how you go with implementing PRIDE in your classroom. 

‍

While many of these skills seem obvious and simplistic, they are often overlooked. Research has shown that just 5 minutes of “special play time” using PRIDE skills increases relationship cohesion if done regularly. If the research shows improvement in the parent-child relationship, would you consider exploring this in the teacher-student relationship?

‍

Give PRIDE skills a try and see how a child or student responds!

{{HR}}

About the author

{{all-small}}

{{justify}}

Dr. Nicole Quiterio is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist who has worked in specialist mental health services, both in the United States and New Zealand. She completed her training at Harvard South Shore and Stanford University. Dr. Quiterio has served in a variety of roles including senior medical officer, medical director and director of research, and has been actively involved in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on the Disaster and Trauma Issues Committee and Committee on Quality Issues. She was a Public Psychiatry Fellow with the American Psychiatry Association and worked with the Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Quiterio specialises in a wide range of psychotherapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, Play Therapy and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. She previously completed a two-year psychoanalytic psychotherapy training program with the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and is currently a child analytic trainee at the Institute of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Sydney.

References

• Blake, P. (2011). Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. London: Karnac Books Ltd.
• de Botton, A. (2022). The Good Enough Parent. London: The School of Life.
• Freud, S. (1989). Beyond the Pleasure Principle. The Freud Reader. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 599-601.
• PCIT International. (2015-2018). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) http://www.pcit.org/

‍