Pages & Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Young Minds
Hi! It's Bijal from Book Therapy and Freya from Play Refuge, and we are SO excited to introduce our new six-part podcast series, Pages and Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Nurturing Young Minds which brings together bibliotherapy and play therapy to explore how books and play can shape young minds.
Each episode blends science, stories, book recommendations, and practical play tips to support adults and children. The series tackles key topics including building emotional literacy, embracing diversity, reducing anxiety, navigating grief, and raising teens, offering real-world strategies for parents, educators, and anyone curious.
Please do subscribe to it wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode!
Look forward to having you on board :)
Freya and Bijal x
#bibliotherapy #playtherapy #podcast #parentingpodcast
Pages & Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Young Minds
Episode 1: The Transformative Power of Story and Play on Childhood Development
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In this first podcast episode, we introduce bibliotherapy and child-centred play therapy, explaining how stories and play support children’s emotional, psychological, and social development.
We discuss the neuroscience and research behind how play and storytelling build neural pathways, executive function, language, emotional literacy, and agency. We also share our personal career journeys into the fields, suggest relevant book recommendations, and preview our next episode on emotional literacy.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and Overview
00:51 What Is Bibliotherapy
01:26 4 Bibliotherapy Pillars
02:39 Developmental vs Clinical Use
03:44 How Stories Help Children
05:05 Play Therapy Basics
06:18 Child-Centred Approach
08:58 Play Therapy Benefits
10:59 Trauma and Neurodiversity
11:36 Combining Story and Play Therapy
14:46 Why It Matters Today
15:27 The Science of Play and Story on Childhood Development
19:17 The Importance of Language
23:08 Safety and Environment
23:42 Making Time to Play
25:17 Our Personal Journeys
25:44 Freya's Path to Play Therapy
30:27 Bijal's Path to Bibliotherapy
35:15 At Home Play Prompts
38:45 At Home Reading Prompts
39:47 Relevant Book Recommendations
44:55 Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview
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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge
Or email us at bijal@booktherapy.io or freya@playrefuge.co.uk