Play Therapy at Home: 5 Simple Tips to Support Your Child’s Emotional Development

Parents often ask, “What can I do at home to support my child’s emotional development?”It’s one of the most common questions play therapists hear—and the answer is encouraging.

You don’t need special toys, a therapy room, or clinical training to support your child’s emotional health. Simple, intentional changes in how you listen, respond, and engage in play can have a powerful impact on emotional regulation, communication, and connection.

The following play therapy–informed parenting strategies are easy to use at home and help children feel emotionally safe, understood, and confident expressing their feelings.

1. Use “I Wonder” Statements Instead of Questions

When children are playing or expressing emotions, adults often default to questions like:

• “Why did you do that?”

• “What is that supposed to be?”

• “Why are they fighting?”

  
  

While well-intentioned, frequent questions can feel intrusive or overwhelming and may cause children to shut down emotionally.

Play therapy techniques for parents often emphasize curiosity without pressure. That’s where “I wonder” statements come in.

Examples:

• “I wonder what that character is feeling right now.”

• “I wonder what happens next.”

  
  

These statements:

• Encourage emotional expression without demanding answers

• Support child-led play and imagination

• Communicate there is no right or wrong response

  
  

Sometimes children respond verbally. Sometimes they don’t—and both are okay. The goal is emotional safety, not conversation.

2. Use Reflective Statements to Help Children Feel Seen

Reflective statements involve noticing and naming what you see—without judgment, minimizing, or fixing.

Instead of:

• “You’re fine.”

• “That’s not a big deal.”

• “You shouldn’t feel that way.”

Try:

• “That looks really frustrating.”

• “You worked hard on that.”

• “It seems like you’re feeling disappointed.”

  
  

Reflection helps support emotional regulation in children by:

• Building emotional vocabulary

• Helping children feel understood rather than corrected

• Teaching that all feelings are acceptable, even when behaviors need limits

  
  

You don’t have to get it perfect. If you mislabel a feeling, children will often correct you—and that correction is part of healthy emotional communication.

3. Praise vs. Encouragement: Focus on Effort, Not Outcomes

Traditional praise focuses on results:

• “Good job!”

• “You’re so smart!”

• “That’s perfect!”

  
  

Play therapy and child development research show that encouragement is more supportive of long-term confidence.

Encouragement focuses on effort and process:

• “You kept trying even when it was hard.”

• “You made a lot of choices while building that.”

• “You look proud of what you created.”

  
  

Why encouragement matters:

• Builds internal motivation

• Supports resilience and confidence

• Helps children value effort over perfection

  
  

Encouragement doesn’t judge or evaluate—it simply notices, which strengthens a child’s sense of competence.

4. Create Opportunities for Child Decision-Making

Children spend much of their day being told what to do. Offering small, safe choices helps build autonomy, confidence, and emotional regulation.

Examples:

• “Do you want to play inside or outside?”

• “Would you like the red crayon or the blue one?”

• “Should we read a book or play a game first?”

  
  

During play, try letting your child:

• Choose the activity

• Lead the story

• Decide the rules

  
  

Child-led play sends a powerful message: “Your ideas matter.”That message strengthens emotional development far beyond playtime.

5. Remember: You Don’t Have to Fix Feelings

One of the most important parenting tips for big feelings is learning when not to fix.

Children don’t always need solutions. Often, they need:

• Presence

• Acceptance

• Someone to sit with them in their emotions

  
  

When adults slow down, reflect feelings, and follow the child’s lead, children learn that emotions are manageable—and relationships are safe.

Why Play Therapy–Inspired Parenting Strategies Matter

When children feel consistently heard and respected at home, they are more likely to:

• Express emotions openly

• Develop strong emotional regulation skills

• Build trust in relationships

• Feel confident navigating challenges

  
  

These play therapy at home strategies aren’t about perfect parenting. They’re about connection, curiosity, and creating space for children to be fully themselves—one moment of play at a time.