Region 9: Best Practices: Building Resiliency Through Play

In this training, participants will:

• Explore the impact of trauma on children’s play and understand how stress and adversity can shape or limit play behaviors in early childhood settings.
• Identify and differentiate types of play that foster emotional healing, coping, and resilience for children who have experienced trauma, including strategies for responding to difficult themes that may emerge during play.
• Apply trauma-informed strategies through real-world scenarios, including insights from medical play and guided vignettes, to support children’s social-emotional development and healing through purposeful, responsive play experiences.