Floortime Information

Greenspan's Model for Floortime: Contents

1. Goals of Floor Time Intervention

• To help the child:

• become more alert

• take more initiative

• become more flexible

• tolerate frustration

• sequence longer actions - plan and execute them

• mediate process of finding solutions

• communicate gesturally and verbally

• take pleasure in learning

2. Glossary of Floor Time Terms

Closing the Circle: Allowing the child to close the circle when child brings your extensions and expansions to a close.

Emotional Thinking: The child leans to elaborate fantasies and to make connections between different ideas. (3 to 5 years)

Engagement: Babies coo, smile, gesture and exchange motor movements with their partners. (0 to 8 months)

Extending and Expanding the Drama: Tuning in to the child's imagination and ideas and taking them one step further through gestures and words.

Floor Time: A warm and intimate way of relating to a child. A floor time philosophy means engaging, respecting and getting in tune with the child in order to help the child elaborate through gestures, words, and pretend play what is on the child's mind. As a technique, floor time is a five step process that is used to support the emotional and social development of the child.

Following the Child's Lead: Seeing the child as the director and yourself as the assistant director of the activity.

Observing: Noticing how the child is special and unique in style, rhythm and mood.

Opening the Circle of Communication: Turning in and following a child's special interest.

Shared Meanings: The child begins to communicate ideas with words or pretend play. Emotional themes enter the child's play. The child uses themes not only to express wants and needs but also to expand fantasies and creativity. (18 month to 36 months)

Stages of Relating: Stages in emotional and social development of children.

Two-Way Communication: The child is able to have an emotional dialogue. Opening and closing circles can take place. You need to take an interest in and respond to the child, and the child responds with gestural and verbal reactions. (6 to 18 months)

3. Greenspan's Model of Stages of Relating and Communicating

Stage 1: ENGAGEMENT (Birth to 8 months)

• Does the baby smile joyfully in response to vocalization and facial expression? What are the kinds of gestures the baby uses to elicit responses?

• How does the baby use senses such as hearing, sight, and touch to form attachments? Is child beginning to exchange motor movements?

• How would you describe baby's temperament (stable, intense, irritable, unresponsive, assertive)?

Stage 2: TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION (6 to 18 months)

• What evidence is there that the child is reciprocating and copying your behaviors and emotions?

• Does the child begin to instigate activities based on own needs and wants, rather than by imitation alone? How?

• Provide examples of how the child combines gestures and words to communicate.

• What evidence is there that the child is beginning to understand basic emotional themes, such as whether child is being approved of, is safe and secure, or is being admired?

Stage 3: SHARED MEANINGS (18 to 36 months)

• Provide examples of how the child is beginning to communicate ideas through words.

• How does the child use pretend play to communicate emotional themes such as curiosity, independence and rejection?

• Describe ways in which child makes wants, desires, and emotions know through pretend play. Describe how pretend play becomes more complex.

Stage 4: EMOTIONAL THINKING (3 to 5 years)

• How are feelings expressed?

• What evidence do you have the child realizes the relationship between feeling, behaviors, and consequences?

• How would you describe the child's relationship with adults?

• How does the child control impulses and stabilize moods?

• How does the child interact with peers in pretend play?

• Does the child help to structure and organize play themes?

4. Specific Goal Behaviors and Strategies to Attain Them

5. Five Steps in Floor Time

Step One: OBSERVATION

Both listening to and watching a child are essential for effective observation. Facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, body posture, and word (or lack of words) are all important clues that help you determine how to approach the child, e.g.:

• is a child's behavior relaxed or outgoing?

• withdrawn or uncommunicative?

• bubbling with excitement?

• is child a real go-getter.

Step Two: APPROACH - OPEN CIRCLES OF COMMUNICATION

Once a child's mood and style have been assessed, you can approach the child with the appropriate words and gestures. You can open the circle of communication with a child by acknowledging the child's emotional tone, then elaborating and building on whatever interests the child at the moment.

Step Three: FOLLOW THE CHILD'S LEAD

After your initial approach, following a child's lead simply means being a supportive play partner who is an "assistant" to the child and allows the child to set the tone, direct the action, and create personal dramas. This enhances the child's self-esteem and ability to be assertive, and gives child a feeling that "I can have an impact on the world." As you support the child's play, the child benefits from experiencing a sense of warmth, connectedness and being understood.

Step Four: EXTEND AND EXPAND PLAY

As you follow the child's lead, extending and expanding a child's play themes involves making supportive comments about the child's play without being intrusive. This helps the child express own ideas and defines the direction of the drama. Next, asking questions to stimulate creative thinking can keep the drama going, while helping the child clarify the emotional themes involved, e.g.: suppose a child is crashing a car: Rather than ask critically, Why are those cars crashing? You may respond empathetically, Those cars have so much energy and are moving fast. Are they trying to get somewhere?

Step Five: CHILD CLOSES THE CIRCLE OF COMMUNICATION

As you open the circle of communication when you approach the child, the child closes the circle when the child builds on your comments and gestures with comments and gestures of own. One circle flows into another, and many circles may be opened and closed in quick succession as you interact with the child. By building on each other's ideas and gestures, the child begins to appreciate and understand the value of two way communication.

6. Strategies for Floor Time Intervention

• follow child's lead and join them - it does not matter what they do as long as they initiate the move

• persist in your pursuit

• treat what child does as intentional and purposeful - give new meanings

• help child do what they want to do

• position self in front of the child

• invest in whatever child initiates or imitates

• join perseverative play

• do not treat avoidance or "no"as rejection

• expand, expand, expand - keep going, play dumb, do wrong moves, do as told, interfere etc.

• do not interrupt or change the subject as long as it is interactive

• insist on a response

• do not turn the session into a learning or teaching experience

7. Questions to Ask Yourself if You Are a Good Floor Timer

• Do I use a calm voice?

• Do I give gentle looks?

• Is my body posture supportive?

• Arm my actions non-intrusive?

• Do I use encouraging gestures?

• Do I demonstrate calm and supportive listening?

• Am I aware of the child's rhythms and gestures?

• Am I able to help the child identify play themes?

• Do I expand and extend the child's drama by staying involved with the play theme and help to elaborate the details?

• Am I able to help the child extend the drama by summarizing main ideas of play themes?

• Do I observe the behavior, language, and gestures of the child?

• Do I observe the child's style of relating?

• Do I approach the child slowly, with respect and thoughtfulness?

• How often do I allow the child to take the lead? Do I follow that lead?

• Do I let the child know through gesture, facial expressions, emotional tone, and supportive body posture that I am there for the child?

• Do I know when to be verbally responsive, and when it is better to quietly share a child's emotion?

• Do I work to understand the emotional needs of the child?

8. Props Needed for Floor Time

Food:

• plastic vegetables and fruits etc.

• plastic foods: chicken, hot dogs, eggs, bacon, french fries etc.

• plastic dishes, cups, forks, knives and spoons

• plastic or paper soup cans and boxes of foods

• plastic cooking utensils, pots, mixer, toaster etc.

• play kitchen with table and chairs

Transportation:

• minimum of 12 match box size cars, trucks etc

• tool kit to fix cars, e.g.: screwdriver, wrench, pliers, etc.

• garage

• road signs, play road

• road construction equipment

• other forms of public transportation: airplane, boat, bus, train

Empathy and Nurturing of others:

• minimum of two dolls, one boy and one girl

• minimum of two bottles

• plastic figures of a family whose sex and number of members matches the child's family

• plastic figures of helpers in the community: doctor, nurse, fireman, construction person, police

• doctors kit to help dolls

• tool kit to fix objects owned by dolls

• doll house for plastic family

• blankets and clothes for dolls

• play bath equipment for dolls

• play crib or bed for dolls

Fantasy Play:

• plastic animals from the jungle, zoo, water and farm

• plastic dinosaurs

• Fisher Price or Play School: farm, pirate ship, airport, school, store etc.

Communications:

• set of two telephones

• chalk or white board on easel

Reading:

• books on a variety of topics which are age appropriate

• word signs around the room

• display of letters of alphabet and numbers 1 to 10 in room

• school desk for dolls or child to go to school

Aggression Fantasy:

• toy soldier set with military transportation (e.g.: tanks, helicopter, boat, and armored trucks) guns, tents, etc.

• cowboy and Indian set with horses, tents, wagons, guns, bows and arrows etc

Construction Play:

• wooden block set

• plastic block set

• tool kit for construction e.g.: saw, hammer, screwdriver etc.

• Lincoln log set

• construction equipment: truck, earth mover, etc.

Art Play:

• crayons and paper

• watercolor tempera paints, brush and paper

• finger paints and finger paint paper

• clay or Play Dough for sculpting

Outdoor Play:

• sand box, pails, shovels and other sand containers

• water play table

• gym set with slide, swings and ladder

• rubber football and/or baseballs to throw and catch

• rubber soccer ball and/or basketball to kick

Constructive Obstruction Props:

• soap bubbles to be blown on child while playing with other props to create need to be flexible and attend to distraction in a coping way

• balloon or light ball to bounce on the drama which is occurring to create crisis

• blanket to hide the desired objects under

• rubber bands, to fix or bind things together

• tape, to fix or bind things together

• bunch of nerf balls to throw to create obstacle which needs to be attended to

Prop Storage: keep theme related props in "shoe box" size transparent plastic containers with covers so child can see inside and select theme to play with. This will make it easier to keep play room orderly and neat when floor time is ended. Enlist child to assist you in putting props in their respective containers.

9. Opening the Symbolic Door

• get engaged at any level

• get intentional - build on any intent, problem solving, corner or undoing

• heighten affect - at every level, all emotions are equal

10. Follow the Child's Lead

• have symbolic toys available

• recognize and create opportunities

• cue or model symbolic actions

• be meaningful

• make it easy

• persist through - affect cues - affect pacing-wait/speed up

• personalize

• be a player - join in

• expand and keep going

• do not change the subject

11. Creating and Expanding Ideas

• treat object or action as an idea!

• you do not need permission to play

• do not "read" or just describe

• talk to child in role - as actor or with figure

• take on a role and talk through the role

• build on real experiences - bridge to what would happen next

• wait for child to make the next move - then give choices or model next step

• resist the temptation to take over

• "Appreciate" child's need for control

• try to build bridges between ideas

• give reasons for your or child's actions

• problem solve and assist in the finding of a solution

• make ideas more complex and more elaborate

12. CONSTRUCTIVE OBSTRUCTION to Extend Problem Solving

• The child will be surprised, amused or frustrated when faced with the changes and obstacles you create for them.

• Approach child with a supportive attitude, sharing surprise, Oh no what happened?, What's the matter?

• Help child solve the problem, but wait for child to recognize the problem first and then encourage the process.

• Stretch the problem as long as possible by playing dumb

• Offering wrong solutions so child can check out several alternatives

• Asking questions and opinions about what they want, etc.

Remember: goal is not to frustrate child but to mobilize child's thinking and acting in face of something which matters personally to the child.

13. Opportunities for Doing Floor Time with Child

To assist child to solve problems and handle changes identify opportunities in the child's daily life which present a "stage" for problem solving and change accepting "dramas"

Brainstorm how you could utilize the following opportunities:

• all thing you routinely do for child

• all the things child expects or waits for you to do

• all the things child already expects to do for self

• all the things child desires or expects to have or go to

• daily challenges

14. Home Based Opportunities for Floor Time

• dressing and undressing: giving child choices about what to wear or not or what to take off first, is following the child's lead.

• mealtime: chose one meal a time with enough time - talk may focus around food preparation, different foods being served, which foods are particularly enjoyable or any topic relating to the child's life.

• car time: engage child in a relaxed conversation in which child takes the lead, or sing-along for which child chooses songs

• coming and going time: plan to have at least a little time to get child settled on arrival to a classroom or in switching and transitioning from one activity to another by reading a short story, visit pet in classroom or at home, or look at special toy in classroom or at home. Show child support through your interest and warm clear good-bye if leaving in classroom. On picking child up from classroom give the child a chance to tell you something important about the day while you are still in the school setting.

• bath time: Bath toys are wonderful props as they float, get dunked, and come into contact with each other. The water is a great opportunity for play. The child will naturally relax in the water.

• book time: Read the book with the child on your lap or next to you on a chair or bed. As you read, be aware of responses and questions that you can extend. (If the child is totally absorbed, however, it is best to continue reading and simply enjoy the sense of shared interest)

• bedtime: Bedtime is often accompanied by a ritual, but is also a moment to feel close and loving. Children sometimes share important thoughts and feelings during the last moments before falling asleep. Although you will not want to rev-up the child up prior to sleeping, you can respond with empathy and stay close until the child is calm and feels safe enough to sleep.

15. Turning Every Day Activity into Problem Solving for Child

• chair not close to table, in the child's spot, when meal time arrives

• bottle not open when you are trying to pour juice

• bathtub empty of water when you tell child it is time to take a bath

• shoes hidden from usual resting place

• changing the shelf locations of favorite books, tapes etc.

• putting two socks on same foot

• putting shirt on feet

• give child adult shoes instead of their own

• use rubber band to hold together a spoon and fork when giving child tool for eating

• being sure cup is upside down when offering child a drink

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