If you’ve been told your child would benefit from Floortime therapy but aren’t sure where to start at home, you’re in the right place. The Greenspan Floortime Approach® was developed by Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan — one of the world’s leading child psychiatrists — and it’s something every parent can learn to do, right on the living room floor.
What Is Greenspan Floortime®?
The Greenspan Floortime Approach® is a relationship-based therapy that builds your child’s emotional, social, and intellectual development from the ground up. Unlike approaches that focus on behavior modification, Floortime focuses on connection — meeting your child exactly where they are developmentally and building upward from there.
The 6 Developmental Milestones
Dr. Greenspan identified six Functional Emotional Developmental Levels (FEDLs) that every child needs to master in order:
- Self-regulation and interest in the world — Can your child stay calm and engaged?
- Engagement and relating — Does your child show warmth and connection with you?
- Two-way purposeful communication — Can your child open and close circles of communication?
- Complex problem solving — Does your child use social interaction to solve problems?
- Creating ideas — Can your child engage in symbolic or pretend play?
- Logical and abstract thinking — Can your child connect ideas and reason?
Step-by-Step: How to Do Floortime at Home
Step 1: Follow Your Child’s Lead
Start by simply observing what your child is interested in. Are they lining up cars? Spinning a top? Don’t redirect — join them. Get on the floor and enter their world without an agenda.
Step 2: Open Circles of Communication
Once you’re in their world, look for ways to join the play that invite a response. If your child pushes a car, gently block it with your hand — not to stop them, but to create a moment of interaction. Did they look at you? Make a sound? That’s a circle opening.
Step 3: Close the Circle
A circle is closed when your child responds to your gesture, sound, or action with their own. Work toward closing 20+ circles in a session over time.
Step 4: Stay Playful and Warm
Floortime only works when it’s fun. Keep your energy warm, playful, and full of delight — even when it’s challenging.
Step 5: Do It Daily
Dr. Greenspan recommended multiple Floortime sessions of 20–30 minutes per day. Even 2–3 meaningful sessions daily makes a measurable difference over time.
Floortime Happens Everywhere
You don’t need a therapy room. Floortime moments happen during bath time, meals, car rides, and bedtime routines. Every back-and-forth interaction — every opened and closed circle — is building your child’s developmental foundation.
Ready to Learn More?
Dr. Greenspan created a comprehensive Parent Course specifically to teach families how to implement The Greenspan Floortime Approach® at home. The 4-part video course is bundled with The Floortime Manual 2nd Edition ebook. Explore the Parent Course + Manual Bundle at stanleygreenspan.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Greenspan Floortime is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan that uses emotionally meaningful play interactions to support children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and communication development. It is the foundation of the DIR™ model.
Parents can do Floortime at home by getting down on the floor with their child, following the child’s lead in play, joining whatever the child is interested in, and gently creating back-and-forth exchanges. Sessions of 20–30 minutes several times daily are recommended, turning everyday play into developmental interactions.
The core principles of Floortime at home are: follow the child’s lead (join their world), open circles of communication (respond to every gesture), close circles of communication (extend the interaction), and challenge the child to think and problem-solve through joyful, playful obstacles.
Dr. Greenspan recommended 8–10 Floortime sessions per day for children with developmental challenges, each lasting 20–30 minutes. However, even 2–3 dedicated Floortime sessions daily can produce meaningful developmental progress when done consistently and with emotional warmth.