Hi there! I’m talking to you. Yep, you right there! You’re probably wondering who created this blog. I’m Sarah and I love to play. I’m always looking for ways to be playful in life; through dancing, singing, acting, reading, telling jokes, and more! I like being creative, learning all that I can, and trying new things.
I started this blog for child life specialist who are looking for new ideas and reviews on different types of therapeutic activities to use in their practice. I highlight activities that use different modalities, including art, dance, music, theater, and more! I also review products that child life specialist might be able to utilize in therapeutic interventions.
This blog is also for caregivers who are looking to learn more about how to support children and teens in healthcare and beyond. And last but not least, I also write to child life students who are just starting out on their exciting journey. I hope they are able to glean some knowledge that will help them on this career path. To learn more about child life you can read my page on it here, or you can check out the child life council website at http://www.childlife.org.
For those of you who are interested in my educational background, I graduated from Bellarmine University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Theater. I also hold a Master’s Degree in Child and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Life from Texas State University. I completed a child life practicum at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and a child life internship at California Pacific Medical Center. Currently I am a Certified Child Life Specialist working in a free-standing children’s hospital.
If you have any questions about the field of child life or my experiences of becoming a child life specialist, drop me a line! You can email me at alittleplayfullness@gmail.com So without further ado, I invite you to jump in and explore with a little playfulness!
Yummy M&M’s!!!
A Little Playfullness 
Hi Sara,
I love the blog! It is so great to see child life getting on social media. I would love to collaborate with you, if you are interested. Feel free to email me at ChildLifeMommy@gmail.com
Best, Shani
Hi Shani,
Thanks so much for the compliment! I agree, it’s great to see more specialists out there promoting child life on social media! I would love to collaborate with you as well! Look out for my email!
Sincerely,
Sarah
Sounds great!
Sarah,
I just pinned your Band-Aid bugs on Pinterest and I wanted to see who was behind this blog. I am finishing my last semester as a grad student at Texas State and I’m currently completing my Child Life Internship in Southern California. Such a small world! I’ll continue to explore your blog, and it’s nice to know fellow Texas State Grads are out there succeeding. Keep it up!
Kayla
Hi Kayla! I’m so glad you like my blog! That’s awesome that you are at Texas State, so many good people there! And you are also doing your internship in California? That’s great! I loved doing mine there and I got to see a whole different part of the country! I appreciate you reading and supporting my blog! Maybe one day we’ll meet in person, since this world is so small, you never know!
Hi Sarah,
My name is Ashley and I just wanted to say that I like your blog. Your blog is very inviting and easy to navigate. I like your activity index. I am currently a child life student looking for a child life internship. If you have any advice I would love to hear it. I am also the creator of Peace Hope and Play.
https://peacehopeandplaysite.wordpress.com/
Hi Ashley, nice to meet you! I’m happy to share advice about internships. Do you have any specific questions? I always recommend to students to apply to a wide variety of places. It is very competitive so it’s important to give yourself lots of choices. I would also recommend a practicum, if you haven’t done one yet. Good luck on your search!
I actually just secured a child life practicum and I couldn’t be happier! As far as questions go, how do you keep all of the theories straight? I am really bad with those. Like I know which theory is which when engaging with a child, but if someone ask me a question regarding the theories, I couldn’t tell you. I applied to 28 hospitals and 30 in the past. Did you do a practicum? What all did you do? Also, could I get you to share my blog? I am trying to get my child life blog out there. Thanks!
Keeping theories straight can be difficult. I still practice just to keep me on my game. Depending on what you want to work on, you can create flash cards that you can use to quiz yourself, with particular interest on questions that people have asked you. I’ve also taken each theory and created a chart that I posted in my room when I was in grad school to help me remember. For example, with Erikson, I made a poster with the stages in order and underneath each theory I wrote a real life example. I also started taking notes of different patient interactions (minus identifying information, don’t forget HIPPA) I had and pairing them with the theories they go with, and then reviewing them to keep them fresh in my mind. I would make sure that you have at least one example from your own experience for each developmental stage that you can recite on cue. That definitely helped me keep theories straight during my practicum and internship.
As to my practicum experience, I did a lot of observing, creating and implementing play activities, practicing assessment skills, and of course journaling. These are all very important building blocks for your internship. Congratulations about your practicum acceptance! You will learn lots!
Thanks!