{"id":142052,"date":"2025-10-22T18:25:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T22:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/?p=142052"},"modified":"2025-10-22T18:25:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T22:25:19","slug":"making-play-meaningful-for-every-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/2025\/10\/22\/making-play-meaningful-for-every-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Play Meaningful for Every Child"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Welcome back, our GiGi\u2019s community!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


At GiGi\u2019s Playhouse, we know that play is more than just fun – it\u2019s how children learn, connect, and grow!
During our recent Parent University session, Building Social Play Skills in Children with Sensory
Processing Challenges, BayCare representatives joined us to share strategies and insights on how
families and caregivers can foster meaningful, engaging play experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


What is Play and Why Does It Matter?<\/strong>
\u25cf Sensory integration – learning to process sights, sounds, and touch in comfortable ways
\u25cf Self-regulation – calming, focusing, and expressing emotions
\u25cf Language and communication – taking turns, describing, and sharing ideas
\u25cf Motor skills – strengthening both fine and gross motor coordination
\u25cf Social skills – learning to cooperate, make friends, and navigate group play<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Understanding Sensory Processing<\/strong>
Children with sensory processing challenges may seek out or avoid different types of sensory input.
Some may love movement, loud sounds, and textures, while others prefer calm, gentle, and predictable
play. Recognizing these preferences helps parents create experiences that are both fun and comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Stages of Social Play<\/strong>
\u25cf Solitary play – exploring independently
\u25cf Parallel play – playing near others
\u25cf Associative play – sharing toys or space
\u25cf Cooperative play – playing together toward a common goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Supporting Play and Connection<\/strong>
Each child\u2019s play style is unique. Some children love movement and action, while others prefer quiet or
hands-on activities. You can support both by:
\u25cf Encouraging parallel play (side by side activities)
\u25cf Introducing turn-taking games like Simon Says or Guess Who
\u25cf Creating calm, predictable environments
\u25cf Using visual schedules or social stories to prepare for transitions
\u25cf Celebrating small successes and joyful moments along the way<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Toys and Activities by Age<\/strong>
\u25cf Infants: soft rattles, tummy time, peek-a-boo
\u25cf Toddlers: stacking cups, shape sorters, pretend play
\u25cf Preschoolers: art, music, and building activities
\u25cf School-age kids: board games, LEGO, and outdoor play
\u25cf Teens: create projects, music, journaling, and social games<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Resources for Parents<\/strong>
\u25cf Pathways.org – resources for developmental milestones and activities for each age
\u25cf Adaptive sports programs
\u25cf Special Olympics
\u25cf YMCA programs
\u25cf We Rock the Spectrum – Indoor sensory gym<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Be sure to check out our programs calendar on our website to register for the next Family Speaker:
Parent University Program night. This program is every fourth Wednesday of every month from
7:00-8:30pm. It is held both virtually, as well as in-person at the Tampa Playhouse.
https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/sfcalendar\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back, our GiGi\u2019s community! At GiGi\u2019s Playhouse, we know that play is more than just fun – it\u2019s how children learn, connect, and grow!During our recent Parent University session, Building Social Play Skills in Children with SensoryProcessing Challenges, BayCare representatives joined us to share strategies and insights on howfamilies and caregivers can foster meaningful,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24837,"featured_media":142053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,558],"tags":[10,7,552,581,561,547,549,658,660,659,662,657,661],"class_list":["post-142052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awareness","category-programs","tag-down-syndrome","tag-gigis-playhouse","tag-gigis-playhouse-tampa","tag-gigisbelieve","tag-gigisplayhousetampa","tag-programs","tag-purposeful-programs","tag-resources","tag-sensory-and-play","tag-sensory-processing","tag-sensory-processing-challenges","tag-social-play","tag-social-skills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24837"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/tampa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}