How to Create a Play Therapy Room
Whether you are a new or seasoned therapist, you may be wondering how to create a play therapy room. Designing a play therapy room is both a practical task and a meaningful rite of passage for many clinicians. It’s a space where safety, expression, and connection converge — intentionally crafted to meet children where they are, in their natural language of play. In this blog, we’ll explore the essential elements of creating a therapeutic environment that is developmentally appropriate, ethically grounded, and deeply supportive of the healing work you and your clients will do together. Let’s dive in!Whether you are a new or seasoned therapist, you may be wondering how to create a play therapy room. Designing a play therapy room is both a practical task and a meaningful rite of passage for many clinicians. It’s a space where safety, expression, and connection converge — intentionally crafted to meet children where they are, in their natural language of play. In this blog, we’ll explore the essential elements of creating a therapeutic environment that is developmentally appropriate, ethically grounded, and deeply supportive of the healing work you and your clients will do together. Let’s dive in!
Setting the Stage: How to Select and Furnish the Ideal Room
The first step in creating a supportive play therapy environment is to choose your ideal location. We encourage selecting a room that sits a bit apart from other offices and your waiting area. This allows children to express themselves freely laughing, stomping, or exploring with sound) without therapists, children, or parents feeling anxious or embarrassed about volume. A separate space also helps prevent caregivers from misinterpreting energetic or “rowdy” play as misbehavior. Ideally, the room is spacious enough that the child and the therapist can move comfortably, typically 150-200 square feet. Privacy is essential for both confidentiality and helping children stay grounded in the session.
There is no need for elaborate decor. A simple off-white wall color can create a gentle, calming backdrop that supports emotional regulation. Additionally, too bright colors can be overstimulating for some clients. Choose sturdy, hard-surface furniture that can withstand active play. A child-sized table with two chairs and a low, rolling therapist chair work well. Shelving should be durable, easy for children to reach, and anchored to the wall for safety.
All toys should be accessible without the child needing to ask for help, reinforcing autonomy and choice within the session. It’s also important to allow enough open space for children to engage multiple toys at once, or to play at a comfortable distance from the therapist as needed.
If you use sand trays or water tables, placing them in the center of the room can create a natural focal point that draws children in. And remember: playroom toys are not collectibles or decorative items. They are carefully selected tools, chosen with intention, for supporting the therapeutic process.The first step in creating a supportive play therapy environment is to choose your ideal location. We encourage selecting a room that sits a bit apart from other offices and your waiting area. This allows children to express themselves freely laughing, stomping, or exploring with sound) without therapists, children, or parents feeling anxious or embarrassed about volume. A separate space also helps prevent caregivers from misinterpreting energetic or “rowdy” play as misbehavior. Ideally, the room is spacious enough that the child and the therapist can move comfortably, typically 150-200 square feet. Privacy is essential for both confidentiality and helping children stay grounded in the session.
There is no need for elaborate decor. A simple off-white wall color can create a gentle, calming backdrop that supports emotional regulation. Additionally, too bright colors can be overstimulating for some clients. Choose sturdy, hard-surface furniture that can withstand active play. A child-sized table with two chairs and a low, rolling therapist chair work well. Shelving should be durable, easy for children to reach, and anchored to the wall for safety.
All toys should be accessible without the child needing to ask for help, reinforcing autonomy and choice within the session. It’s also important to allow enough open space for children to engage multiple toys at once, or to play at a comfortable distance from the therapist as needed.
If you use sand trays or water tables, placing them in the center of the room can create a natural focal point that draws children in. And remember: playroom toys are not collectibles or decorative items. They are carefully selected tools, chosen with intention, for supporting the therapeutic process.
What Belongs in the Playroom (And Why It Matters)
You may now be wondering, how do I choose appropriate toys for my therapy play room? We’ve created a few simple but important questions to get you started:
Is this toy appropriate for the developmental range of the children I serve?
Will children be able to use this toy without needing my assistance?
Might this item distract from meaningful play or limit social and emotional engagement?
Toys in a play therapy room should be durable and give children the chance to develop insight, express feelings, and explore their inner worlds. When possible, avoid using branded toys or characters. Children often feel freer to project their own stories onto a plain doll or simple costume than onto a recognizable princess, superhero, or movie figure. For example, a neutral baby doll paired with basic dress-up clothing encourages imagination and emotional expression without limiting the narrative.
A well-rounded playroom includes toys that support a range of expressive needs:
Imaginative Expression
Dress-up clothing, puppets, building blocks, animals, vehicles, and simple figures allow children to explore roles, relationships, and symbolic stories.
Real-Life and Nurturing Play
Include items such as baby dolls, a dollhouse with diverse family figures, play money, a toy kitchen, and household props. These help children process family dynamics, routines, and real-world experiences.
Limit-Testing and Boundary-Setting
Toys that offer safe outlets for bigger feelings, such as a bop bag, toy dart board, cash register, handcuffs, foam sword, rubber knife, or “scary” puppets and animals, support children in exploring power, mastery, frustration tolerance, and self-regulation in a contained, therapeutic environment.
Creative Arts Materials
Art supplies invite children to express themselves nonverbally. A small easel with cups of paint, brushes, paper, markers, popsicle sticks, child-safe scissors, glue, and construction paper gives them many ways to communicate feelings through color, shape, and texture.
What to Exclude in the Playroom (And Why)
Some items can unintentionally pull children away from the therapeutic process. It’s best to avoid:
Electronic or battery-operated toys
Puzzles, books, and similar structured activities
Board or card games
Extensive collections of building sets (like large bins of Legos)
Full, open containers of paint, water, or glue that shift the focus to mess management rather than expressive work
Excluding these items helps maintain a space that feels purposeful and contained, and oriented toward the emotional work of play.
Other Considerations
Given that our population is so diverse, it is important that play therapists create an inclusive therapeutic environment that invites cultural expression for all children. Here are some things to think about when trying to make your play space inclusive for all cultural backgrounds:
Include diverse figurines, dolls, and action figures that represent various skin tones, hair textures, genders, and abilities.
Inclusive art supplies such as coloring books and crayons with diverse skin tones can help normalize differences.
Try to include play food, kitchen sets, or family figures that display different cultural cuisines, homes, or traditions.
Choose toys that can be used for more than one purpose to encourage creative expression.
Include sensory and creative tools like sand, water, paint, and musical instruments to help with sensory processing and non-verbal expression.
When considering dress up clothes, include items from various professions, as well as traditional clothing, capes, and accessories.
Ultimately, a thoughtfully designed play therapy room is more than a collection of toys; it’s a container for trust, exploration, and healing. By grounding your choices in developmental appropriateness, ethical practice, and cultural awareness, you create an environment where children feel empowered to express themselves fully and authentically. Your playroom becomes a quiet partner in the therapeutic process, supporting the deep, meaningful work that unfolds through play.
