By Stephanie Lord-Darby and Sienna Southen 

At GymbaROO, we live and breathe the science of movement. We understand how foundational movement is for neurological development and for strengthening the brain–body connection.

Yet beneath the science lies an even deeper magic: the beauty of childhood. A simple cardboard box, a soft star blanket, and a rhythmic countdown from five can transform a living room into the moon. In minutes, a child is no longer just “playing” — they’re living a story of their own creation.

This is the profound power of play.

As Maria sang in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning.” At GymbaROO, we start as early as six weeks old with Attunement Play — joyful, responsive interactions between caregiver and child where brains light up through smiling, cooing, and sing-song exchanges.

For parents at home, this often raises a practical question: How do we build play from the beginning? How do we create play that nurtures movement, imagination, problem-solving, and social skills?

Renowned researchers T. Berry Brazelton and Stanley Greenspan, in The Irreducible Needs of Children, identified six essentials every child requires to flourish. These form a beautiful framework for play at home:

1. Ongoing nurturing relationships – Your connection is the foundation.
2. Physical protection, safety, and regulation – Children must feel secure to explore.
3. Experiences tailored to individual differences – Lean into their unique interests.
4. Developmentally appropriate experiences – Offer challenges that are “just right.”
5. Limit setting, structure, and expectations – Freedom within boundaries creates calm.
6. Stable, supportive communities – Connection to GymbaROO and beyond matters.

So, what does this look like in everyday life?

Spend some time playing with them. Get down on the floor. Be present. Follow their lead. If they’re stacking blocks, hand them another. If they’re a lion, be the explorer.

At other times, step back and let them play safely on their own. Independent play is where they process their world, experiment, and develop deep concentration.

Don’t force activities. Instead, lean into their natural interests. If your child loves wheels, talk about wheels. Count them. Compare them. Let their curiosity shape the play.

Offer problem-solving opportunities and resist the urge to jump in too quickly. The learning is in the struggle. When they wrestle with a word, a toy, or a puzzle, your calm presence and patience are often more powerful than your solutions.

GymbaROO ambassador and Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Sienna Southen, shares this about Building Play:

“One thing I always remind parents is that play is a child’s primary occupation. It’s how they learn and develop motor skills, thinking skills, language, communication, social-emotional understanding, and regulation. Play is one of the most powerful tools for reaching developmental milestones because it’s engaging, meaningful, and most importantly — fun.”

Sienna explains how play changes as children grow:

“Children naturally move through different stages of play as they develop. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development highlights how play evolves alongside children’s thinking skills. For example, between roughly 2–7 years (for typically developing children), they’re in what Piaget called the preoperational stage — I like to call this the ‘magical thinker’ stage. This is when imagination explodes. A cardboard box becomes a rocket ship. A stick becomes a magic wand. Storytelling, role play, and pretend games are doing incredible developmental work behind the scenes.”

Southen also offers a couple of gentle tips:

“Try to meet your child at their level. That means tuning into their cognitive stage and matching your play to where they’re at. It also means physically getting down to their height, matching their communication style (whether that’s gestures, simple language, or big animated storytelling), and joining their world.

And most importantly — enjoy it. Playing with your child doesn’t have to be perfect or structured. It’s okay to be a little silly, even if it feels awkward at first. Give yourself permission to rediscover your inner child — because when children feel seen, joined, and delighted in, that’s when development really flourishes.”

At GymbaROO, we provide expert guidance. At home, you provide the love, safety, and endless opportunities for play. You don’t need fancy toys. You just need a star blanket, a curious mind, and the confidence that the very best play often begins with something as simple as a countdown from five.