In this Question and Answer session I teamed up with Denielle Randall to discuss some of the challenges of bringing professional play therapy services into the child’s home.

And another thing… here’s a list of toys that we recommend for In Home Based Play Therapy sessions.

Home-Based Play Therapy Toy List: Many mental health practitioners provide in-home based services. This list was created for professionals who use a play therapy approach in the context of in-home services. This list is not exhaustive, but should provide a foundation.

Some overall considerations for In-Home Based Play Therapy sessions:

• toys/materials should be light in weight and simple to transport
• toys/materials should be inexpensive but durable
• toys/materials should be easy to clean up and pack up
• choice of toys/materials should be considered through a cultural lens that factors in that you will be in the child’s home

The list of toys/materials:

• a tote for carrying your supplies can also double as a play kitchen (for an example, on the go Kitchen)
• empty egg cartons, cereal boxes, spice containers (Even cleaned out these will retain scent. This is one way to weave cultural thoughtfulness into sessions.)
• paper, plastic or other light weight cups, plates, utensils
• baby doll
• baby bottle
• soft ball (like Nerf-brand)
• plain paper
• washable magic markers
• bandages (as many as you have will get used, so I usually have 3-5 available per session)
• empty vitamin bottle (washed out thoroughly, of course)
• stethoscope (you can get real working ones for about $10, worth it!)
• doll house or other people figures
• car
• emergency vehicle
• menacing character puppet
• nurturing character puppet
• play handcuffs
• jump rope
• mask (a variety is good, like 2-3)

You can always add your favorites and cater specifically to the population of children you work with. This is most appropriate for play therapists using a child-centered approach. Finally, remember that you want toys that will allow children to express, regress, and aggress in their play.