Engage Playfully

21/05/2026

The Power of animals and evidence based programs is something we see daily in the schools we work with. Building confidence, resilience, communication and a pure joy that lifts them up to face daily challenges. 🐾🐾🐾

Just because a child is physically in the classroom doesn’t mean they feel safe, regulated or ready to learn.

Many children spend their school day in survival mode — overwhelmed by noise, pressure, uncertainty, social demands or the constant effort of masking how hard things really feel.

From the outside, it can look like they’re “coping.”

But internally, their nervous system may be overloaded.

When children are dysregulated, anxious or emotionally exhausted, learning becomes incredibly difficult. This isn’t about behaviour, motivation or “trying harder.”

It’s about understanding that emotional safety and connection are essential foundations for learning.

At Animal Therapies Ltd, we often see how animal-assisted learning can help children feel calmer, more connected and more emotionally secure.

Animals can provide a sense of safety without judgment or pressure. They help create opportunities for regulation, confidence, communication and engagement in ways that feel natural and supportive.

For some children, meaningful learning begins only after their nervous system feels safe enough to participate.

21/05/2026

Come and explore the magic of Play at Engage Playfully.

18/05/2026

🌱 Early Intervention Matters
The early years are such an important time for building the foundations of emotional regulation, communication, confidence and social connection. When children receive support early in ways that feel safe, playful and relationship‑based, they’re better able to understand their feelings, manage big emotions, and build the skills they need to thrive at home and school.

At Engage Playfully, we offer a range of early intervention supports designed to meet children where they’re at, including:
• Animal‑Assisted Play Therapy
• Child‑led Play Therapy
• Emotional regulation and social skills support
• Teacher and school collaboration
• Parent support and guidance
• Small‑group programs
• Early Intervention Key Worker‑style support

Our therapy animals, gentle approach, and focus on connection help children feel safe enough to learn, explore and grow at their own pace.

We are a Registered NDIS Provider, and early intervention supports can be funded through your Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living budget.

If you’d like to chat about whether early intervention could support your child, feel free to send a message. We’re always happy to help families find the right fit.

17/05/2026

We have a couple of clinic session spots available for Play Based Therapy with animal assistance at Engage Playfully for this term.

If you’ve been thinking about supporting your child with emotional regulation, confidence, social skills, or simply giving them a safe, playful space to connect with our therapy animals, now is a great time to join us.

Available Thursday sessions:
• 12:00pm
• 1:00pm
(Frankston clinic – 361 Nepean Hwy)

Engage Playfully is a Registered NDIS Provider, and NDIS funding can be used for our sessions from the Capacity Building budget in your NDIS plan under Improved Daily Living, which is designed to help children build functional independence and everyday skills. We also take private funded clients.

Benefits of our Animal‑Assisted Play Therapy sessions include:
• Building emotional awareness and confidence
• Strengthening social and communication skills
• Supporting emotional regulation and coping strategies
• Encouraging gentle, safe connection through therapy animals
• Improving flexibility, problem‑solving and resilience
• Providing a calm, supportive space for children to learn and grow
If you’d like to chat about whether these sessions might be a good fit for your child, feel free to send a message or give us a call.

14/05/2026

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What are animal-assisted activities? Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) are informal, goal-oriented interactions between people and animals designed to promote comfort, wellbeing, social connection, and enjoyment. These activities are typically facilitated by trained handlers and suitable animals in settings such as schools, hospitals, aged care facilities, community programs, and wellbeing services.

Unlike formal therapy, learning programs or clinical interventions, Animal-Assisted Activities focus on creating positive experiences that support emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing.

Animal-assisted activities may include:

Visiting dogs in schools or hospitals
Reading to animals
Grooming, feeding, or walking animals
Social interaction and companionship
Group wellbeing sessions with animals
Confidence-building and engagement activities

These interactions can help:
✨ Reduce stress and anxiety
✨ Encourage communication and social interaction
✨ Improve mood and emotional wellbeing
✨ Increase participation and engagement
✨ Create calming and positive environments

Animal-assisted activities are beneficial for people of all ages and are especially supportive for children, neurodiverse individuals, older adults, and people experiencing social isolation, trauma, or mental health challenges.

13/05/2026

Animal Assisted learning, at Engage Playfully we see the true benefits of animals daily. Thank you to all our therapy animals that help us to support children in schools, within the community and at our clinic. 😍🐾🐾🐾

Animal-assisted learning (AAL) programs integrate structured interactions with animals into educational, social, and therapeutic environments to support the development, wellbeing, and engagement of people, including children and young people.

For neurodiverse youth — including autistic children, young people with ADHD, sensory processing differences, learning disabilities, anxiety, trauma backgrounds, and other developmental differences — these programs provide a highly effective, strengths-based approach to learning and participation.

Research and practical experience demonstrate that interactions with animals can help reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, increase motivation, and enhance communication and social connection.

Animals create a non-judgmental and calming presence that can support young people who may experience barriers in traditional educational or therapeutic settings.

Animal-assisted learning programs are particularly valuable because they combine experiential learning with emotional safety and engagement. Through guided activities with specially selected animals, participants can develop:

Emotional regulation and self-confidence
Social and communication skills
Literacy and learning engagement
Sensory integration and calming strategies
Empathy, responsibility, and relationship-building
Attendance, participation, and school connection

11/05/2026

Animal Assisted Play Therapy School-Based Programs for Student Wellbeing. Supporting student wellbeing through evidence based social groups and 1:1 therapeutic support. Accessible through the Schools Mental Health Menu. Get in touch to book your schools session for 2026 and 2027.

05/05/2026

Waffles Is Settling Into His New Role
Waffles has been settling beautifully into his new role as our therapy rabbit at Engage Playfully.
He has spent the week enjoying gentle snuggles with students, being hand‑fed his favourite treats, and hopping around to say hello while everyone works hard. The children have been wonderfully respectful of his needs, noticing when he pops into his bed for a rest and giving him the space to recharge. He’s never in there for long, he doesn’t like missing out on all the action for too long.
We are grateful to Bellarine Bunnies for helping Waffles grow into the confident, calm, and well‑supported therapy rabbit he is becoming. His presence is already bringing moments of connection, regulation, and joy to our sessions.

28/04/2026

🐾 We’d Love to Hear From You! 💛
Our therapy animals bring so much comfort, joy, and calm to our sessions and it got us thinking about all the special animals in your lives too.

✨ What’s your favourite thing about your animal that brings you comfort?
Is it the way they curl up beside you, their happy tail wags, their soft purrs, their silly quirks, or just the way they seem to know when you need them?

Share in the comments we’d love to celebrate the little moments that make our animals so special. 🐶🐰🐱💛

28/04/2026

🌟 Winnie’s First Official Day as a Certified Therapy Dog! 🐾💛
Today was a very special day, not only was it the first day back for some of our students in Term 2, but it was also Winnie’s very first official day as a fully certified therapy dog. And she absolutely shone.

Winnie spent the morning doing all her favourite things:
• Lying next to students and soaking up gentle belly rubs
• Chasing feathers with pure joy
• Showing off her skills (especially when treats were involved!)

Her happy tail wags and the way she settled calmly beside each child made it clear just how comfortable and content she felt. The students loved having her there, and she brought such a warm, grounding energy to the room.

A beautiful start to Term 2 and a wonderful first day for our newest certified therapy superstar. 💛🐶✨

27/04/2026

🌟 First Day Back for Term 2 — and a Day of Firsts for Waffles! 🐰💛

Today was a big day at Engage Playfully as we returned to schools for Term 2 and it was full of firsts for our newest therapy bunny, Waffles.

It was Waffles’ very first day in a school, his first time meeting groups of children, and his first time meeting Poppy. He did so well taking it all in, soaking up pats, gentle cuddles, and (of course) plenty of treats from very excited little hands.

Just like the children, Waffles had some big feelings at times today. When he needed a little break, we all respected his space and it didn’t take him long to hop back over for more pats and connection. A perfect real‑life reminder that everyone needs a moment to reset sometimes.

Alongside welcoming Waffles, we explored how our bodies experience different emotions, sometimes even more than one at the same time. The children experimented with:
🟡 Jumping up and down and noticing changes in their heart rate
🟠 Rubbing their hands together quickly to feel warmth and tingles
🔵 Thinking about how different emotions show up in their bodies

To support our 8‑week journey together, each child decorated a cut‑out of themselves. These will become personal body‑mapping tools to help them identify what they’re feeling and where they feel it throughout the term.

A beautiful start to Term 2, full of curiosity, connection, and one very brave little bunny learning the ropes. 🐾💛