Know exactly what child-led play is, and what it isn't.
Follow the simple do's and don'ts that make it work.
Plan it and track it for 14 days, so it actually happens.
Not just regular quality time
Child-led play is 5 to 10 minutes a day where your child leads and you follow. No teaching, no questions, no corrections. Just your full, positive attention. It gives your child an appropriate sense of control, fills their need for your attention in a healthy way, and makes praise, planned ignoring, and every other step work better. It's an antecedent strategy: it changes the A in the ABCs, so hard moments happen less often in the first place. Daily means daily, and five minutes counts.
What's inside the 13-page toolkit
• A short ABCs primer, so you know exactly where child-led play fits • What child-led play is, and how it's different from regular quality time • The do's and don'ts, in plain language • What to play, and which activities to avoid • Five thinking traps that get in the way, and what to think instead • A Child-Led Play Planner to fill in right now • A fillable 14-day Child-Led Play Tracker with a ready-for-Step-4 checklist • Fridge cards to keep the rules in front of you
Meet Dr. Emily Gault, PhD
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist. My training took me through Georgetown University, LSU, the University of Miami, and Florida International University, including an NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship, before I joined the faculty at FIU as a Research Assistant Professor. In 2023, I left academic research to open the Center for Child Behavior, my private practice focused on bringing families the research-supported tools that help children with significant behavioral difficulties. I have 10 years of experience providing comprehensive assessment and therapy for children with behavior challenges, and I've authored ~40 scientific publications on oppositional behavior, conduct problems, aggression, ADHD, and related topics. Today, I provide telehealth behavioral parent training for families across Florida. The Parent Steps is the six-step program I use with the families I work with, now available for any parent to use at home.
Common questions
What ages is this for? Kids ages 4 to 10. The same science applies to toddlers and teens, but it's tailored differently for those ages. Will this help if my child has ADHD? Yes. Kids with ADHD often get more corrections than connection. Child-led play gives them a daily dose of positive attention, which makes listening and cooperation easier the rest of the day. Is this a physical product? No. It's a digital PDF you can download right after purchase. The worksheets are fillable on a computer or tablet, or you can print them. Is this therapy? No. This is educational and isn't a substitute for therapy or medical advice, and purchase does not create a therapist-client relationship. If your child has significant behavioral concerns, please reach out to a licensed provider. Do I need Steps 1 and 2 first? Step 3 includes a short ABCs primer, so you can start here. It works best alongside Step 2, Strategic Labeled Praise. The Complete Bundle includes all six steps plus the full e-book.
Five minutes counts.
Start tonight. Instant download, fillable on a computer or tablet, or print at home.
$12.00