Play can be very therapeutic for children. Play is a way of removing stress and having fun. Play implies freedom, safety, trust, and a sense of well-being. Adding play to children’s lives leads to less depression, less anxiety, less stress, and less aggression. Play is fundamentally important for the emotional health of children and is a way for them to express emotion that cannot be said with words. Children who have been play-deprived or have experienced trauma or abuse will experience more fear, more pent up emotions, and more intense conflicts with others.1

• 1. “Therapeutic Value of Play.” Abuse Consultants. < http://www.abuseconsultants.com/rdirctrl/index.asp?PageDirect=PlayValue > 1 Nov. 2010.