Nurturing Minds Play Therapy

10/05/2026

With my next play therapy teaching block coming up, I’m really looking forward to learning more about creative visualisations. ✨

Creative visualisations can…

🌿 Support relaxation and self-regulation💛 Build emotional safety and resilience⭐ Encourage imagination and creativity🤝 Strengthen connection and trust💭 Support positive thinking and problem solving.

This book I’ve been reading, Creative Visualization with Children by Jennifer Day, is very good. It’s practical, gentle, and full of ideas for working therapeutically with children.

I’m excited to explore how creative visualisation can be used within play therapy to help children feel safe, empowered, and heard. 💫

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

A huge well done to Rosie today, who took a well-earned day off from her therapy work and had the best time at our local dog show! 🐶💛

She loved every minute - from the agility course and ball pits to the lucky dip, which was definitely one of her favourite parts! 🎾✨

Rosie made lots of new friends, enjoyed all the attention, and did us so proud. Safe to say she’s now one very tired girl, fast asleep with her rosette on. 🏵️😴

17/04/2026

Another product I love to use in my toolkit are these beautiful Mood Monster Painted Pebbles for emotions and feelings by A Pebble & A Paintbox. 💛

They’ve been so popular in the therapy room and it’s easy to see why. The playful characters feel inviting, making it easier for children to connect with their emotions in a gentle, approachable way.

Whether a child is choosing how they feel today, building a story, or placing their “mood” into the sand tray, these pebbles create so many opportunities for expression and connection.

They’re a simple tool, but they open up such meaningful conversations. ✨

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1039882538/mini-mood-monsters-set-with-feelings?ref=share_ios_native_control

17/04/2026

bought these emotion stones and I absolutely love them in the play therapy room. 💛

They’ve quickly become a favourite. There’s something so powerful about how children connect with them - choosing, holding, moving, and placing each feeling in their own unique way.

These little stones gently open the door to big conversations. They help children show what’s going on inside when words feel too hard, and they bring such depth to sand tray play and storytelling.

Simple, meaningful, and so effective. ✨

https://amzn.eu/d/0hOTeLGv

17/04/2026

There’s something magical about a paintbrush in little hands. 🎨

In play therapy, painting isn’t about creating a “perfect” picture - it’s about expression, exploration, and feeling safe enough to show what’s inside. Each colour, stroke, and splash tells a story that words sometimes can’t.

Through painting, children can:
✨ Express big emotions
✨ Build confidence and independence
✨ Explore creativity without judgment
✨ Find calm in the process

Sometimes the mess is the message - and that’s more than ok.

15/04/2026

When we make space for art, nature, and open-ended play, we’re giving children the language they use first - the one that lives in their bodies, hands, and imaginations.

Words by Phylicia Rashad 💛

07/04/2026

Why do play therapists use terracotta clay?

Its natural, earthy qualities support emotional regulation when words are hard to find. Through earthy connection, mirroring, and attunement, emotional healing can begin gently and at a child’s pace.

07/04/2026

In play therapy, something as small as holding a piece of terracotta clay can support emotional regulation. Through quiet mirroring, grounding, and attunement, emotional healing can begin without words.

Sometimes, that’s enough.

30/03/2026

A child’s behavior is often a reflection of how full (or empty) their emotional cup feels.
Connection, validation, and encouragement go a long way. 💛 🥤
Filling their cup doesn’t take big moments, just small, consistent ones.
The way we listen, validate, and connect becomes their inner voice.