Play Therapy for Children in Ahmedabad
Using play as a therapeutic tool to promote emotional, social, and cognitive development.
Book a Play Therapy Consultation
Share your details and Dr. Yatri Shah's team will call you back on the same working day. Mon to Sat: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Sunday: Holiday.
Play Therapy in Ahmedabad, Quick Answer
Play therapy uses structured, purposeful play as the medium for developmental and emotional progress, building attention, imitation, turn-taking, problem solving, language and confidence. At Magical Moves in Ahmedabad, Dr. Yatri Shah's team embeds therapy targets inside games the child enjoys, so motivation stays high and skills generalise naturally.
Play Therapy at a Glance
- Suitable age range
- 1 to 12 years
- Session duration
- 45 minutes
- Typical frequency
- 1 to 2 sessions a week
- Delivered by
- Dr. Yatri Shah (BPT, MPT, Pediatric Physiotherapy Specialist)
- Formats available
- In-centre one-to-one, small group sessions, online consultation, home programme
- Consultation languages
- English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi
- Location
- #508, 5th Floor, A Wing, Arjun Icconic, Shastrinagar, Naranpura, Ahmedabad 380013, Gujarat, India
- Timings
- Mon to Sat: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM | Sunday: Holiday
- Booking
- Call/WhatsApp +91 9099968248 or submit the enquiry form on this page
What is Play Therapy?
Play is how children think, learn, process feelings and rehearse the world. A child who cannot yet explain that they are anxious about a new school will show it in how they play. A child who cannot follow a verbal instruction will often master the same concept inside a game. Play therapy uses this natural language of childhood as the medium of treatment.
At Magical Moves, Ahmedabad, play therapy is used both as a developmental tool and as an emotional one. Developmentally, we use structured play to build attention, imitation, symbolic thinking, problem-solving, sequencing and turn-taking. Emotionally, we use child-led play to help children express and process feelings they cannot yet put into words.
For many of our children, play itself is the first goal. Children with autism or significant developmental delay often play repetitively, lining up, spinning wheels, opening and closing doors, rather than functionally or imaginatively. Expanding the play repertoire from sensorimotor to functional to symbolic play is a measurable therapy outcome with wide effects on language and social development.
Who Benefits from Play Therapy?
- Children with autism who play repetitively or in isolation
- Children with developmental delay and limited play skills
- Anxious, withdrawn or emotionally distressed children
- Children adjusting to major change, new school, sibling, relocation, loss
- Children with short attention span and poor imagination
- Children who struggle to share, take turns or lose gracefully
- Children with speech delay who need a non-verbal expressive outlet
Our Play Therapy Programme at Magical Moves
Play assessment
Observation of current play level, sensorimotor, functional, constructive or symbolic, and play preferences.
Child-led therapeutic play
A safe, accepting space where the child directs the play and the therapist reflects and supports emotional expression.
Structured developmental play
Therapist-designed games targeting attention, imitation, sequencing, problem-solving and cause-effect learning.
Play repertoire expansion
Systematically moving the child from repetitive play towards functional and pretend play.
Social play skills
Turn-taking, sharing, rule-following and cooperative games with peers or siblings.
Parent play coaching
Teaching parents how to join and extend their child's play at home rather than direct it.
Signs Your Child May Need Play Therapy
- Plays with the same object in the same way for long periods
- No pretend or make-believe play by age three
- Cannot play with another child for even a few minutes
- Loses interest in toys within seconds
- Aggressive or destructive during play
- Marked change in play after a stressful life event
Benefits Parents Can Expect
- Richer, more varied and more imaginative play
- Improved attention span and engagement
- Better emotional expression and reduced anxiety
- Improved language and communication through play routines
- Stronger parent-child bond and enjoyable shared time
- Improved problem-solving and cognitive flexibility
How the Programme Works, Step by Step
- 1
Parent consultation
Understanding the child's play habits, emotional concerns and family context.
- 2
Play observation
Free-play observation to establish the current developmental play level.
- 3
Goal setting
Developmental and emotional goals chosen with the family.
- 4
Play therapy sessions
Regular sessions blending child-led and structured play as appropriate.
- 5
Parent involvement
Coached joint-play sessions so play therapy continues at home.
- 6
Review
Re-observation of play level and emotional presentation.
Play Therapy Compared with Related Therapies
Many parents in Ahmedabad ask which therapy their child actually needs. This table compares play therapy with the therapies most often recommended alongside it, so you can see the difference before you book.
| Compare | Play Therapy (this page) | Social Skills Training | Behaviour Therapy | Sensory Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Emotional expression, confidence and learning through guided play | Turn taking, conversation, play with peers and friendship skills | Reducing challenging behaviour and teaching replacement skills | Organising sensory input so the child can attend, calm and participate |
| Best suited for | Anxiety, emotional regulation, poor play skills, low confidence | Children who play alone, struggle with peers or miss social cues | Tantrums, aggression, non-compliance, ADHD, autism | Sensory seeking or avoiding, meltdowns, poor attention, autism, ADHD |
| Age range | 1 to 12 years | 3 to 16 years | 2 to 16 years | 18 months to 14 years |
| Session length | 45 minutes | 45 to 60 minutes | 45 minutes | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Sessions per week | 1 to 2 a week | 1 to 2 a week | 1 to 2 a week | 2 to 3 a week |
| Typical programme | 10 to 20 weeks | 12 to 20 weeks, individual then small group | 12 to 20 weeks with weekly parent training | 12 to 24 weeks plus an ongoing sensory diet |
| Home practice | 15 minutes daily special play time | Weekly practice outings and structured play | Consistent daily plan, 15 minutes structured | Daily sensory diet, 15 to 20 minutes |
| First signs of progress | Richer pretend play and easier separation in 4 to 8 weeks | Initiating greetings and short back-and-forth play in 6 to 8 weeks | Fewer and shorter episodes, better transitions within 4 to 8 weeks | Shorter meltdowns and better tolerance of textures and sound in 4 to 8 weeks |
Ranges are typical starting points at Magical Moves, Ahmedabad. Dr. Yatri Shah confirms the exact plan after the first assessment.
Play Therapy Plan Calculator
Move the sliders to see what a realistic play therapy programme looks like in hours, sessions and review points. The starting values are the plan Dr. Yatri Shah most often recommends for this service.
Play Therapy at Magical Moves, Ahmedabad
Build your child's plan
14 sessions
Therapy sessions in the plan
11 hours
Time with the therapist
21 hours
Guided practice at home
2 reviews over 3.2 months
Formal progress reviews
Over 3.2 months your child would get about 32 hours of structured input, 11 hours in the centre and 21 hours at home. Home practice is usually what decides how fast progress comes, which is why every session at Magical Moves ends with parent coaching.
This is a planning tool, not a medical prescription or a quotation. The final plan depends on your child's assessment.
Does My Child Need Play Therapy? Quick Checker
Tick the statements that describe your child. The checker gives you an instant, honest read on whether an assessment is worth booking. It is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Tick every statement that sounds like your child. Nothing ticked yet.
Frequently Asked Questions about Play Therapy
Play Therapy Near You, Areas We Serve in Ahmedabad
Families travel to Magical Moves for play therapy from across Naranpura, Shastrinagar, Navrangpura, Vastrapur, Bodakdev, Satellite, Thaltej, Gurukul, Ranip, Sabarmati, Chandkheda, Motera, Nava Vadaj, Paldi, Maninagar, Bopal, SG Highway, Gota, Nikol and Gandhinagar. The centre is on the 5th floor of Arjun Icconic in Shastrinagar, Naranpura, a short drive from Naranpura Cross Roads, Akhbarnagar and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation sports complex, with lift access, parking nearby and easy connectivity from the SG Highway and Ashram Road corridors. The play room is set up for pretend play, cause-and-effect toys, construction and cooperative games. Parents outside Ahmedabad and from other cities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh use the online consultation option for assessment reviews and home-programme coaching.
Visit Our Centre in Ahmedabad
Magical Moves Pediatric Physiotherapy and Intervention Centre
Dr. Yatri Shah (BPT, MPT, Pediatric Physiotherapy Specialist)
#508, 5th Floor, A Wing, Arjun Icconic,
Shastrinagar, Naranpura,
Ahmedabad 380013, Gujarat (GJ), India
Mon to Sat: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM | Sunday: Holiday
Related Therapy Services
Social Skills Training
Building communication abilities and social interaction skills in group and individual settings.
Behaviour Therapy
Evidence-based interventions to support positive behavioral changes and social development.
Sensory Integration
Helping children process and respond to sensory information effectively through targeted activities.