🛝The Role of Play in Supporting Emotional Regulation🤗
How important is play? Can it be used as an emotional regulation tool?
👋 Welcome to SEMH Education!
Every week, I share insights, strategies, and tips from my experience working with children and professionals on social, emotional, and mental health in education. This week, we’re exploring another topic that’s often overlooked but can make a huge difference in how children behave and engage in the classroom: The Role of Play in Supporting Emotional Regulation.
In schools, we often underestimate play, pushing it aside as a "break" from learning rather than recognising its power as a tool for emotional growth. For children with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health needs, play shouldn’t just be seen as a break, it should be viewed as an essential part of their day, whilst also being a valuable behaviour management tool.
Structured play provides a safe space for emotional expression, a measured way to build resilience, and a chance to practice self-regulation in a low-stakes environment. For children who struggle with impulse control, frustration, or social interactions, structured play can be one of the most effective ways to support their development.
🕹️ The Therapeutic Power of Play
Think about the last time you played a game, whether it was a board game, a team sport, or even just a silly moment with friends. Play allows us to explore emotions in a way that feels natural and, importantly, in a way that is immensely different from a normal classroom lesson.
It provides an opportunity to fail safely, to experience winning and losing in a low-threat environment, and to regulate our emotional responses. For children with SEMH needs, who often struggle with emotional expression and impulse control, structured play can become a practice ground for real-life situations.
When used with intention, play can:
✅ Encourage teamwork and cooperation.
✅ Help children identify and express emotions safely.
✅ Support self-regulation through turn-taking and rule-following.
✅ Reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
✅ Develop problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
🎮Play-Based Activities for Emotional Regulation
There are loads of different and effective games you can use to support children who may struggle with their emotional regulation. Here are some simple but effective play-based activities:
🎭 Emotion Charades
A twist on the classic game of charades! Instead of acting out movie titles, children act out emotions such as; frustration, excitement, disappointment, etc. This helps children recognise emotions in themselves and others, improving emotional literacy and empathy. This might seem silly, but it genuinely works!
You’d be amazed at the number of children and young people who couldn't give you examples of different emotions. The film(s) Inside Out have been amazing for shining a light on different emotions, although it’s even more powerful to act these emotions out!
🎲 Board Games with a Twist
This one is useful for interventions around emotional regulation. It’s perfect in smaller groups or 1:1. Games like Jenga, Uno, or Snakes & Ladders can be adapted to encourage emotional reflection. For example, whenever players remove a Jenga block, they share a time they felt a certain way. E.G. How did you feel the last time you were looking forward to something but it was cancelled? These structured conversations normalise talking about feelings and show children that it’s healthy to talk about their thoughts and feelings on different situations.
🏆 Cooperative Games
Games where children work together rather than against each other, such as "The Floor is Lava" or problem-solving escape room challenges, can build teamwork, resilience, and frustration tolerance. Some children can struggle with the pressure of competition, so cooperative games remove that stressor while still practicing social interaction.
🌈 Sensory Play
For children who struggle with self-regulation, activities involving some form of sensory input like kinetic sand, water, or Oobleck can be incredibly soothing. These activities allow for mindfulness and help ground children when they’re feeling overwhelmed. These are also great for 1:1 interventions or restorative conversations. Somewhat akin to Lego-Based therapy, these activities are just an amazing tool to use when having more serious conversations with children.
It’s a bit like having a serious conversation with someone in a car or on a walk, you don’t have to make eye contact, which just makes everything that little bit easier!
🎭 Role-Playing Social Scenarios
Acting out different real-life situations (e.g., asking for help, dealing with disappointment) through role-play helps children practice responses in a safe space. This can be particularly beneficial for neurodiverse children who may find social interactions challenging.
This is where social stories come in again! I’ve mentioned these a few times now, they really are great! Creating a social story and acting it out can give children a much deeper understanding of how someone may feel in a certain situation.
Embedding Play in Everyday Practice
Play shouldn’t be an add-on or an afterthought. Schools can embed play-based regulation strategies into daily routines. Whether through structured break times, playful transitions between lessons, or even short "brain break" games in the classroom.
The reality is that many children don’t develop self-regulation skills through direct instruction alone. They learn through experience, trial and error, and safe interactions with trusted adults. Play provides these opportunities in a way that feels natural and engaging.
If we want to help children build resilience, express emotions safely, and navigate social interactions successfully, we need to take play seriously. It’s time to stop seeing it as a distraction from learning and start recognising it as one of our most powerful tools for SEMH support.
Do you use play as a regulation strategy in your setting? I’d love to hear what works for you!
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