Play and creative expression

Play is the natural process through which infants and children learn about the world around them, develop social relationships and express their emotions. Play is also an important tool children use to unpack, explore and process difficult experiences.

Children’s play evolves as they develop. Initially, they may engage in independent play, where they play alone and are focused on their own activity. As children grow, they begin to participate in parallel play, where they play alongside other children but do not directly interact. Eventually, they develop reciprocal play, which involves interacting and cooperating with others in shared play activities. Each developmental stage influences how children process experiences through play.

Creative expression extends beyond traditional play to include various artistic forms that can support emotional processing and healing. Creative expression can offer children alternative ways to process and communicate their experiences and feelings, especially when words are insufficient. Creative expression allows children to explore and express complex emotions in ways that might be difficult to articulate verbally. This may be through art, music and singing, drama and role play, or storytelling and writing. By creating and reflecting on their art or stories, children can gain insights into their own experiences and feelings.

Why play and creative expression are important

In the following video (4 minutes, 50 seconds) practitioners discuss why it is so important to provide children with opportunities for play and creative expression after disasters.

After experiencing a disaster, children may have many confusing memories and challenging emotions to process. Play and creative expression are essential tools they use to work through and make sense of their experiences. Young children, who are still developing language, may not yet have the words to express their ideas or talk about what they have experienced, but they can do so through these activities. So, supporting children’s play and creative expression is crucial for their recovery.

Through play, children may experiment with different roles, engaging in problem-solving and decision-making. For example, through imaginative play, children may re-enact scenarios experienced in relation to the disaster, including those that might be frightening or confusing, allowing them to gain a sense of control and understanding over their experiences. Creative activities such as drawing, painting or crafting can also offer children a way to express their feelings and process their experiences non-verbally.

In the following video (3 minutes, 39 seconds), Andrea Murray from the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health discusses the importance of story and play for children following a disaster or traumatic event, and how adults can support these activities.

Repetitive play can provide insight into moments that children are trying to resolve. Excessive or protracted repetitive play related to the disaster can be a sign of significant disruption or a trauma response. If children are struggling to process their experience of traumatic events they may need support to ensure that play feels safe and promotes healing (Cohen & Gadassi, 2018). Some signs children may need further support in play include when:

• a child’s re-enactment of the event in play is not soothing
• it results in significant aggression, fear, or other intense emotional states
• the narrative of the event is chaotic and incoherent (Queensland Centre for Perinatal Infant Mental Health, 2022).

Remember that while play and creative expression are fundamental aspects of childhood, not all children will engage in them in the same way, especially after a traumatic event. Some children may play or create in ways that are less conventional, or they may show no interest in these activities even when materials are available. Children affected by trauma might engage in these activities sporadically or in ways that differ from typical patterns, depending on their emotional state and individual needs. It’s important for practitioners and parents to be mindful of these variations, offering support that respects each child’s unique responses and preferences. Providing a range of supportive options, including both play-based and creative activities, as well as non-play-based activities, can help meet each child’s needs and facilitate their recovery in a compassionate and effective manner.

Key practices

Play takes many forms, and children will make their own choices about how to play in the environments and with the materials they find (as is evident when infants and toddlers are more interested in the empty box than the toy that came in it!).

Adults can encourage young children’s play by providing evocative spaces and play materials. However, the most important way to help young children process their experiences through play is to be present. Be willing to follow the child’s lead, take on roles assigned to you, listen, respond and validate the child’s feelings and observations. It is also important to know when to keep out of the way, guided by what the child asks for and expresses. Be curious about their thoughts and feelings and careful not to impose adult interpretations or expectations on their play.

It can be helpful to think about different kinds of play and what materials and environments may help. However, be prepared for children to play in unexpected ways.

Pretend play

Young children enjoy role-playing in various ways, using dress-ups, props, dolls, stuffed toys or puppets. Everyday toys such as small cars and vehicles, toy animals, buildings and so on may support them to play out events that have occurred. Blocks, cardboard boxes and sand are all good for creating environments, knocking things down and rebuilding.

Art, craft and creative expression

Provide children with various materials they can use to draw, paint or create collages. Tactile materials like clay, plasticine or play dough can give children a lot of fun and satisfaction in addition to the sense-making aspects of their art. Found objects, fabrics and natural materials like bark can all be used.

Encouraging children to express themselves creatively through different mediums like dance, drama, music, and in personal or community art projects can be therapeutic. Provide materials and (where possible) space for them to create their own plays, songs or dance routines.

Sensory play

Sensory play can help children calm and regulate their emotions. Provide opportunities and equipment for activities that engage the senses, such as playing with water, sand, clay, paint or rice, and using sensory containers/bins filled with various textures.

Large play

Many children like to ‘drive’ toy bikes, tricycles or sit-in cars. They may use these to represent emergency vehicles. Sand diggers and other large equipment that requires manipulation can provide a sense of mastery while the child processes their understanding of, for example, response and rebuilding activities.

Structured games and activities

Some games and activities are specifically designed to help children with aspects of recovery from disasters, for example the Birdie’s Tree online games and Fun with Birdie activity book. Encouraging games and activities that are not specific to disasters is also helpful. Those that require teamwork and cooperation can help children develop social skills and feel supported by peers. Activities like building a fort together or playing cooperative board games can foster a sense of unity and collective achievement. Phoenix Australia has developed a list of activities for children and adolescents with no supplies needed.

Playmates

Young children’s play usually evolves organically rather than being organised in advance. Sometimes children will process their experiences by playing on their own. Other times they may play group games, for example ‘Let’s play firefighters’. Encourage children to play with peers and siblings, as collaborative play can provide social support and foster a sense of connection and belonging. When children are working through difficult events it can be helpful for parents, educators and other caring adults to let one another know about the recurring themes in a child’s play so the ‘work of play’ they are doing can be supported across care settings.

Nature play

Encouraging play in natural environments can have a calming effect on children and help them feel grounded, especially after a disruptive event like a disaster. Engaging with nature can provide a sense of normalcy and stability and help children process their experiences. It is also crucial to acknowledge that, following a disaster, children may perceive the natural environment as potentially threatening. However, nature play can help rebuild trust and comfort with these surroundings. The following are some examples of nature play activities and their benefits.

• Creating structures with natural materials can be symbolic of rebuilding after disaster and provide a sense of mastery and control.
• Gathering natural items can be soothing for children and offer a sense of connection to the world around them. Organising scavenger hunts for natural items can encourage exploration and focus, diverting attention from distressing memories.
• Walking through or playing in natural settings can provide sensory stimulation and a calming backdrop, helping to reduce anxiety and stress.
• Engaging in gardening or re-planting natural environments can be therapeutic, symbolising growth and renewal. It provides a sense of purpose and a tangible way to contribute to recovery.
• Using natural materials to create art projects can help children express their feelings and experiences in a non-verbal way.

Practice scenarios

Practice scenario 1: ‘Let’s play flood’

An early learning centre in Northern NSW was closed for a period due to floods. When it reopened, a group of girls aged three to four years old recurrently played a game of ‘flood’. They would take dolls from the ‘home’ corner of the centre and ‘evacuate’ to the outdoor play space, using prams and carrier slings to transport the dolls and taking clothes and ‘toys’ along for them. The game was interspersed with pretending to hose mud from the walls with imaginary firehoses. The girls played cheerfully and collaboratively, showing no overt distress. The game moved freely and flexibly, usually flowing organically into further play with the dolls and/or with the outdoor play equipment.

Educators observed that this play seemed to provide the girls with an opportunity to re-play and process their experiences of the floods as a peer group. Educators in a nearby primary school observed similar themes in the play of children a few years older. These older children also engaged in imaginative play by setting up an animal hospital. Using puppets and soft toys, they created a scenario where animals who had been injured in the bushfires received care. The teacher supported this play by providing resources such as bandages, vet gear, books and X-ray films. These materials helped scaffold the play, allowing children to explore themes of healing and recovery in a creative and therapeutic way. Over time the game fell out of use, with educators feeling it had served its purpose in the children’s recovery journey.

Practice scenario 2: Aishah

Aishah, a nine-year-old girl from a coastal town in Northern Queensland, experienced a severe cyclone that devastated her community. The cyclone caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, and Aishah’s own house was severely affected, leaving her family without a safe place to live for several months. Aishah witnessed the destruction of her familiar environment and felt the loss acutely. The trauma led to frequent nightmares and heightened anxiety about future storms. Aishah’s parents noticed that she became withdrawn and struggled to express her feelings verbally.

Having always enjoyed art and drawing, Aishah began to use her creativity as a means of processing her traumatic experiences. She created a series of drawings depicting the cyclone’s impact on her home and community. Her artwork vividly portrayed the powerful winds, flooding and destruction, along with the emotional turmoil she felt. Through her drawings, Aishah was able to communicate her fears and the impact of the disaster, providing a visual representation of her internal struggles. Her art also reflected moments of resilience and hope, showing how her family and community were working to rebuild.

Aishah participated in a community project to create a mural at the local aged care facility. The project aimed to bring together people of different generations to share their experiences and contribute to a collective piece of art. Aishah worked alongside elderly residents, including a lady who had lived through Cyclone Tracy in the 1970s. The stories shared by the elderly residents, particularly how they rebuilt their town and how the community came together, provided Aishah with a sense of connection and hope. The mural became a symbol of resilience and recovery for both Aishah and the community.

Through her involvement in the mural project, Aishah found relief in expressing her feelings through art and connecting with others who had similar experiences. The process of creating the mural helped her feel part of a larger narrative of recovery and resilience. The project not only supported Aishah’s healing but also strengthened community bonds, illustrating the powerful role of creative expression in overcoming trauma and building community connectedness.

More strategies

Now you have finished reading this resource you can:

• Read the other Strategies for supporting infant and child mental health after disasters resources:
  • Child–adult relationships
  • Emotional regulation
  • Communication and meaning-making
  • Routines and predictability
  • Support networks
• Return to Practices for supporting infant and child mental health after disasters
• Check out Supporting infants and children in disasters: A practice guide
• Visit the Community Trauma Toolkit.

References

Cohen, E., & Gadassi, R. (2018). The function of play for coping and therapy with children exposed to disasters and political violence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(5), 31. DOI: 10.1007/s11920-018-0895-x.

Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health. (2022). Birdie’s tree early learning program. Queensland Government.