ABSTRACT
Chapter 13 looks at the therapeutic value and opportunity of working through art, creativity, play and stories. Some helpful theoretical frameworks for understanding play and stories are considered, including ‘active imagination’, along with examples of how we might facilitate such creative opportunities in schools are discussed.
Typically children use play to engagingly work through everyday relationships, happenings and changes. But with the children who need it most, these safe and fun ways to work through experiences can often be inhibited by trauma, making play and creativity difficult. The chapter discusses the importance of emotionally containing relationships and a secure facilitating environment to enable such children to open to creativity and imagination.
The value and use of metaphor – allowing things to come up in the safer, once-removed situation of stories, free play, art and drama – including examples from children’s work, and the value of nurture and therapeutic groups (including nurture groups) in facilitating play for children who need help to learn to play is acknowledged. Different stages and types of play are explored, like pretend play, messy play, sand play, music and rhythm, constructional play and board games. Finally, I include my notes for an INSET on story writing, including some examples of children’s writing.
