Play Therapy Toys & Materials

Because toys aid children in expressing themselves, having different types and a variety of toys is important in play therapy. It is also important to note that different play therapy theorist advocate for the integration of different toys with different interventions while other modalities require the same toys to be available for each session.

In child centered play therapy, the playroom or play area has three type of toys—aggressive toys (e.g. soldiers, dart gun, mask, swords), real life toys (e.g money, costumes, cars trucks, baby dolls, dishes, animals), and creative toys (sand, puppets, clay, scissors, craft stick, markers). All of these toys impact the therapeutic process.