Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Use Of Culturally Sustaining Practices In Play To Foster Resilience, Genevieve Lowry

Graduate School of Education

Children present in the hospital with an array of previous experiences. Play specialists must learn to help children use experiences as opportunities for growth and coping and be prepared when significant life events emerge as part of a child's play. Ecological models provide a framework for understanding children's lived experiences affecting development and offering insight into children and families responses to stress. Foundational theories of play provide knowledge of children's development, interests, and understanding of themselves and the world. This chapter examines two culturally sustaining models that build on play theories viewing children and families through a strengths-based lens that …