when children speak through play 🌱

I’m really pleased to share this thoughtful piece from Carla of CS Speech Pathology as part of our collaboration series.

Carla brings a calm confidence to her work. She understands that communication isn’t simply about speech, but about safety, timing, and helping children express themselves in ways that feel manageable.

In this newsletter, she shares how role play can gently open the door to conversations children may not yet know how to begin.

I’ve spent most of my career sitting on the floor with children, not across a desk from them. That’s where the real work happens. When children are given space to play, imagine, and explore, they often tell us far more than they ever could in direct conversation. As a speech therapist, I’m always listening for how a child communicates, not just what they say.

Periods of change can be confusing for children. Even when adults are calm and prepared, children may still be carrying questions, worries, or mixed feelings they don’t yet have words for. In these moments, language can lag behind emotion. Role play gives children a way to organise what they are feeling without being asked to explain it directly.

What I value most about role play is the way it lowers the emotional stakes. A child does not have to talk about themselves to be understood. They can be the parent, the teacher, the visitor, or the observer. Through these roles, they practise expressing needs, boundaries, and emotions in a way that feels safe and contained. My role is to gently support that process by offering language when it is needed and stepping back when it is not.

One simple activity families can try is what I call “the feelings switch.” Using two toys or figures, let your child decide who each one is. Partway through the play, suggest that one character is getting ready to go somewhere new, or meet someone they have not seen in a while. Then gently suggest swapping roles. Children often reveal more through a character’s voice than they can say directly themselves. There is no need to clarify or question. Simply reflect the words you hear and allow the play to continue.

Finding a child’s voice during times of transition is not about preparing them to say the “right” thing. It is about giving them repeated, low pressure opportunities to be heard. When children experience adults who can listen without rushing or correcting, communication becomes something they trust, even when circumstances feel unfamiliar.