Closer together through movement and play

What is Sherborne Movement Play?

Thanks to the collaboration with Mariëlle Remmelzwaal from Oase Speltherapie, we also offer Sherborne Movement Play at Praktijk Bouwsteentjes.

Movement and making contact are central to Sherborne Movement Play. Your child discovers his or her possibilities through movement and contact play. You and your child will attend several Movement Play sessions together. You will play games with each other, while the therapist provides the games and offers guidance. No toys are needed, only a blanket. It is truly about playing with each other and gaining experiences through your body.

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What this means for you

Through this movement play, your child learns to get to know his or her own body. It teaches them to trust in you as a parent, and in their own strength. In this way, your child is given the opportunity to experience missed early childhood experiences.

You and the therapist are always alert to how your child responds and react in a supportive manner. This allows traumatic experiences to be processed in a safe setting. With the help of both of you, healthy ways of dealing with stress are initiated in your child.

This recovery process, together with the fun and the pleasant contact during the sessions, strengthens the bond between you and your child.

Not talking, but moving and playing — this is how trust between parent and child grows naturally.’

Mariëlle in brief

Growing up in a close-knit coastal village has shaped me into someone who believes in being strong together. “We do it together” is therefore my motto.

Living in a large city taught me that it is not always natural for people to trust one another. Yet, I found something of “we do it together” in my work in an underprivileged neighborhood.

I got to know many cultures there and was able to bring people from different cultures together. I have experienced how true connection enriches and protects people.

Play Therapist

I find play very important. Playing helps to develop; it is processing, discovering, and being resilient. When there are no words for experiences, images can speak. Articulating what a child shows in play can be very helpful. I have now been working with children for more than ten years, using play extensively.

In this way, I help children develop cognitively, help them discover who they are and how they relate to others through Rock and Water training, and I let children and adults continue to build on their mutual attachment through Sherborne. For the last three years, I have let a child’s play speak through play therapy. The Master’s in Play Therapy has deepened and enriched my view of play.

It is incredibly valuable to give children a voice through play. It helps adults to better understand the child and to look together at what is needed.

'When there are no words for experiences, images can speak.'