Stacey Horan Play Therapy

29/01/2026

♦️ Emotions cards aren't just for therapy rooms, you can use them at home too.

♦️Children don't always have the words for what they feel, but they can point, choose and play.

Emotion cards can help children:
💭 Identify and name their feelings
💭 Learn that all emotions are ok
💭 Build emotional language in a safe, playful way.

When children can name feelings, they are one step closer to understanding and regulating them.

⭐ I bought these emotion cards on Temu and love how approachable they are for children.

29/01/2026

🙏🏼

Stimming isn’t a problem behaviour to fix.
It’s a child’s way of regulating their body, feelings, and focus in a world that can feel loud, fast, and overwhelming.

When we try to stop stimming without understanding it, we often take away a child’s safest coping tool.
When we get curious instead, we create safety, trust, and regulation.

This is a child’s voice — sharing what stimming really means from the inside.
Gentle support starts with listening.

17/12/2025

💞

Crying is not something to stop, fix, or rush through.
It’s the nervous system doing exactly what it’s designed to do under emotional load.

When a child or young person cries, their body is releasing stress, shifting out of survival mode, and signalling a need for connection.
This is regulation in progress — not defiance, manipulation, or weakness.

When we allow tears to move through with safety and support, we’re helping the brain process what’s been felt, rather than storing it away to resurface later.

Sometimes the most supportive response isn’t distraction or discipline.
It’s presence, patience, and permission to feel.

16/12/2025

💖

We don’t hold on to our kids through perfect experiences or grand gestures.

The simplest way to hold on is through rituals — the small, steady movements of gathering, restoring, repairing, and delighting that invite our children to rest in our care.

These 10 attachment rituals are everyday ways of saying,
“You belong with us. You can rest here.”

All of these just require your presence — nothing fancy, nothing scripted. And they matter now more than ever in a world that keeps pulling kids outward: to screens, to peers, to the pressures of growing up too fast.
These rituals keep pulling them home again.

Save this as a gentle reminder:
Connection is not a performance, a set of skills to master, or tricks to remember.
It’s simply a way of showing up — again and again — in the relationship that matters most.

Which one of these are working for you?

01/12/2025

🎉 Celebrating 3 years 🎉

Yesterday marked 3years of offering play therapy and my heart is so full.

Watching children grow, heal, express themselves, and find their voices through play has been incredibly meaningful. It hasn't always been easy, but every step has reminded me why this work matters.

I'm deeply grateful for every family who has trusted me, every child who has invited me into their world, and every moment of connection, courage and growth along the way.

Here's to 3 years of play...and many more to come 💛🦋✨

12/11/2025

🧡❤️🩵💚

During a meltdown, the goal is not to 'fix' or 'stop' the behaviour.
The goal is to help the nervous system return to safety.

What we say — and how we say it — makes a profound difference.

When a child is overwhelmed, the thinking parts of the brain are offline.
They can’t reason, respond, or problem-solve yet.
They need co-regulation, not correction.

This post offers phrases you can use at each stage of the meltdown cycle — not to control the moment, but to support safety, connection, and repair.

Because when a child learns:
“I can have big feelings and still be safe with you,”
they develop emotional resilience, trust, and self-understanding.

If you found this helpful and would like a deeper breakdown of each phase (with step-by-step support strategies), you’ll find the full Timeline of a Meltdown resource via link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

Save this to come back to when things feel overwhelming

12/11/2025

❤️ When play looks a little rough...

Sometimes in play therapy children show big feelings through their toys. A doll might get bandaged, taped or even treated aggressively. While it can look worrying, it's actually an important part of the healing process.

Children often "speak" through play before they can put emotions into words. When a child acts out anger, fear or hurt with toys, they're letting those feelings out safely in a space where they're understood and supported.

Every bit of play tells us something about what a child needs. Our job isn't to stop the story, it's to listen, stay curious, and help them find calmer, kinder ways to express what's inside 🌈 ✨

28/10/2025

❤️

Emotional regulation isn’t something children are born knowing how to do — it’s something they develop over time.
From the early years to adolescence, each stage brings new skills, challenges, and opportunities for support.

We’ve mapped out the timeline of emotional regulation development — so you can see what’s typical, what’s still emerging, and how to nurture these vital skills along the way.

Explore the full guide and strategies in our Managing Big Feelings Toolkit (link in comments or via the link in bio).

12/09/2025

❤️

18/06/2025

"The bond that a caregiver establishes with a child is really important for their development. In fact, we believe that a secure infant attachment is one of the most important factors in child development. This bond helps both the child and the caregiver in many ways. It is the building block to many social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive skills. In this article we will explain how a good child-caregiver bond shapes the developing brain. We will describe what a caregiver needs to do in order to create healthy attachment bonds. There are practical games and activities that you can integrate into your home or school to assist in this process..."

28/03/2025

Engaging in nurturing play, like caring for dolls, stuffed animals, or role playing as caregivers, helps boys develop empathy, compassion, and the ability to understand others' needs and feelings. It's actually an important aspect of their emotional and social development.

When boys engage in such play, they learn vital skills that will help in them in relationships, emotional intelligence, and even in their future roles as parents, friends, or colleagues.

It can also challenge traditional gender norms by showing that nurturing qualities are not confined to any one gender ♀️♂️

28/03/2025

🚫 Anti-Bullying Training for Parents of Children in Primary School
📅 Virtual Sessions – April 2025

🟦 A free online session provided by the National Parents Council (NPC)

This training will help you:
✅ Support your child if they are experiencing or witnessing bullying
✅ Understand how bullying is addressed in schools
✅ Learn about the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary Schools

📌 These sessions are interactive and online – places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

🖊️ Register now:
👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Anti_Bullying_April2025

🕰️ Choose your preferred date and time:

🟨 Tuesday 1st April – 10am or 7:30pm

🟨 Wednesday 2nd April – 10am or 7:30pm

🟨 Thursday 3rd April – 10am or 7:30pm

👥 Open to all parents/guardians of primary school children.