How Play Therapy Helps at Every Level​

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As parents, it can be confusing when your child’s behaviours don’t seem to match their age, or when they struggle with emotions, relationships, or self-control. One helpful way to understand what’s going on is by learning about the different levels of the brain and how play therapy supports healthy development at each level.

 

The Three Levels of the Brain

Think of the brain like a house with three floors. Each level plays an important role in your child’s development:

 

1. The Lower Brain – "Survival Brain" (Brainstem)

 

Function: Controls basic life functions like breathing, heart rate, and the fight/flight/freeze response.
When activated: Your child might appear overwhelmed, panicked, shut down, or reactive. They may not be able to follow directions or calm down easily.

 

Play Therapy Support:
Play provides safety, rhythm, and sensory experiences that help soothe the nervous system. Through consistent, predictable sessions, the child begins to feel safe essential for healing and learning. Therapists use tools like sand, movement, and sensory play to help regulate this foundational brain area.

 

Learn more:

• Harvard Center on the Developing Child – Brain Architecture (https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/brain-architecture/)

 

• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child – Toxic Stress and Brain Development (https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/toxic-stress/)

 

2. The Middle Brain – "Emotional Brain" (Limbic System)

 

Function: Handles emotions, attachment, relationships, and memory.
When activated: Children may have big emotional reactions, become clingy or withdrawn, or struggle with forming healthy connections.

 

Play Therapy Support:
Through relationship-focused play, children experience emotional connection and empathy. The therapist models attuned, non-judgmental responses, helping the child name and process emotions. This nurtures secure attachment and helps rewire emotional patterns.

 

Learn more:

• The Importance of Early Attachment Relationships (https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/)

• Siegel & Bryson – The Whole-Brain Child (book summary & insights) (https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-whole-brain-child/)

 

3. The Upper Brain – "Thinking Brain" (Cortex/Prefrontal Cortex)

 

Function: Responsible for reasoning, problem-solving, impulse control, and decision-making.
When fully developed: Children can think through consequences, express feelings in words, and manage their impulses.

 

Play Therapy Support:
Children cannot access their "thinking brain" when they feel unsafe or dysregulated. Once the lower and middle brain areas are supported through therapeutic play, the upper brain can begin to develop. The therapist helps children make connections, build insight, and practice self-control in age-appropriate ways through stories, role-play, and creative expression.

 

Learn more:

• The Developing Brain – Center on the Developing Child (https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-the-science-of-early-childhood-development/)

 

Why Play?

Play is your child’s natural language. Through play, children express what they might not have the words for trauma, confusion, fear, and unmet needs. In the therapy room, play becomes the path to healing.

 

What Is Play Therapy?

Play therapy is a developmentally sensitive, evidence-based approach that allows children to process their experiences and feelings in a way that makes sense to them. Therapists are specially trained to use toys, art, stories, and games to help children grow emotionally, socially, and behaviourally.

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Learn more:

• Association for Play Therapy (APT) – What is Play Therapy? (https://www.a4pt.org/page/WhyPlayTherapy)

 

• Play Therapy International – About Play Therapy

(https://playtherapy.org.uk/how-does-play-therapy-work/)

 

• Play Therapy Works – Research & Outcomes (https://www.a4pt.org/page/APTYouTubeChannel)

 

A Safe Place to Grow

Play therapy meets your child where they are developmentally, emotionally, and neurologically. Whether your child is struggling with anxiety, trauma, behaviour challenges, or emotional outbursts, therapy provides a safe space to explore, express, and grow from the bottom up.