Discussion: “Help your child use their ideas functionally and introduce make-believe play; try to keep increasing the interaction,” emphasizes Dr. Greenspan.
The world of make-believe is very important: the richer the pretending, the greater the creativity. Don’t bypass the pretending, or else you’ll lose out later on when you’re wondering why the child isn’t being as creative or abstract as they can be.
“As a parent or therapist, get involved in the pretending – become a character and jump into the role,” encourages Dr. Greenspan. “Sometimes you want to be a voice on the sidelines, but it’s more affectively vibrant to actually be a character.”
Remember to use ideas interactively – we would rather see a child using words interactively as opposed to full sentences and proper grammar. Have fun and “use high affect,” reminds Dr. Greenspan.
Learn more about Dr. Stanley Greenspan and the Greenspan Floortime approach. If you are new, we have a background and introduction to Greenspan Floortime including how it helps special needs children. We also have Greenspan Floortime training courses at Floortime U. specifically designed for parents and professionals including the Floortime Manual.