Creating Attachment Through Play

Q: What is the importance of play in creating attachment between parent and child?

A: Dr. Jane Aronson, a pediatrician specializing in adoption medicine and is the CEO and President of Worldwide Orphans, says: “Play can involve discovery, exploration, problem solving and connection with an adult caretaker and/or peers depending on the age of the child. Reciprocal interaction using play leads to trust, joy, and shared tasks which brings the child and the foster/adoptive parent together into a partnership/relationship. A child who plays, grows and develops can depend on a parent. Safety and security results from such dependence. That is attachment.”