Anxiety in young children is increasingly common. Real play is one of the most evidence-based interventions available, and it is free.
Physical play, particularly outdoor play and rough-and-tumble, is one of the most powerful natural anxiolytics available to young children. It down-regulates the stress hormone cortisol, increases serotonin and endorphins, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. A child who plays actively outside for an hour will have measurably lower anxiety markers than one who has spent that hour sedentary.
Key citation
Sandseter, E.B.H. & Kennair, L.E.O. (2011). Children's risky play from an evolutionary perspective. Evolutionary Psychology · Bögels, S. & Restifo, K. (2014). Mindful Parenting. Springer
Pretend play allows children to encounter and manage feared scenarios in the safe frame of fiction. A child who is afraid of doctors plays at being a doctor. A child who has experienced a frightening event re-enacts it with toys until mastery is achieved. This is not displacement, it is natural self-therapy, and it is precisely what narrative therapists mean by "stories heal." The wooden figures on the floor are the child's therapeutic tools.
If you are concerned about anxiety in your child, please speak to your GP or health visitor. This page is informational and does not constitute medical advice.
Britain's oldest toy maker. Every toy open-ended, wooden, and built for exactly the kind of play the research recommends.