Play Assessment

In play therapy, play is a child’s natural language. Through pretend play, children communicate their feelings, ideas, relationships, and sense of self in ways that words alone often cannot.

The Pretend Play Enjoyment Developmental Checklist (PPE-DC) is a gentle, play-based assessment used within our play therapy service to gain a deeper understanding of a young child’s development, strengths, and support needs — by observing them doing what they do best: playing.

The Pretend Play Enjoyment Developmental Checklist (PPE-DC) is a criterion-referenced observational assessment with standardised administration and scoring. It is completed within a naturalistic play therapy session and typically takes 30–45 minutes to administer.

The PPE-DC is suitable for children aged 12 months to 5 years and is designed to capture important aspects of development that may not be visible in structured or table-top assessments.

Rather than testing children directly, the PPE-DC focuses on how a child plays, how they experience play, and what their play reveals about their inner world.

The PPE-DC assesses three key aspects of a child’s play ability:

The assessment looks closely at a child’s pretend play abilities across the following areas:

• Play scripts (familiar routines and themes)
• Sequences of play actions
• Object substitution (using objects symbolically)
• Toy character play
• Role play
• Social interaction within play
   

These skills provide valuable insight into a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development.

A child’s enjoyment of play is scored using the Enjoyment of Play Scale, rated on a 0–6 scale.

This helps us understand:

• How easily a child engages in play
• Their capacity to enjoy spontaneous pretend play
• Their readiness and openness to engage in therapeutic play experiences
   

Enjoyment of play is a key indicator of how a child may engage in play therapy and how safe and connected they feel within the play space.

The PPE-DC also considers a child’s sense of self, as observed through their play. This includes how children represent themselves in play narratives, their level of agency, confidence, and how they experience relationships, control, and belonging. This aspect of the assessment offers meaningful insight into a child’s developing identity and emotional world.

The PPE-DC is unique in the way it brings together play skills, enjoyment of play, and sense of self within a single assessment. This combination provides insight into areas of development that are often overlooked, yet strongly influence:

• Language and communication
• Narrative and storytelling
• Social competence
• Problem solving
• Emotional regulation
• A child’s developing autobiographical narrative
   

Because the assessment is embedded in play therapy, it feels safe, respectful, and child-led, aligning with neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based practice.

The PPE-DC is not a diagnostic tool and does not label children. Instead, it helps us:

• Understand how your child experiences play and relationships
• Identify meaningful therapeutic goals
• Tailor play therapy to your child’s developmental needs
• Support collaboration with families and early childhood settings
   

The assessment may be completed in a single session or integrated across early therapy sessions, depending on your child’s needs.

Following the assessment, families receive a clear and compassionate summary that:

• Highlights your child’s strengths and emerging abilities
• Identifies areas where support may be helpful
• Links play observations to developmental domains
• Offers practical, play-based recommendations for home and early learning settings
   

Feedback is shared in accessible, non-alarmist language, with your child’s well-being at the centre.

Cost: $350.00

This includes:

• 1 hour assessment session
  (parent completing assessment forms and 30-45 minute child observation)
• 1 hour of report writing
   

Optional Parent Feedback Session:

• $156.00 (60 minutes)
  A dedicated session to talk through the results, answer questions, and discuss next steps.
   

Your child’s sense of safety comes first. The PPE-DC is completed within a warm, supportive play therapy environment, guided by your child’s interests and pace. There are no right or wrong ways to play. Parents and caregivers are valued partners throughout the process, and your insights are an important part of understanding the whole picture.

Because when we understand a child’s play, we understand the child.