Play therapy is based upon the fact that play is the child's natural medium of self-expression. It is an opportunity which is given to the child to 'play out' his feelings and problems just as, in certain types of adult therapy, an individual 'talks out' his difficulties.       
                                                                                    Viginia Axline

"You cannot see a soul of another child, but you may play with him and then at once you will see everything.”
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                                7 y/o Russian Child when asked “What is a soul?” 
                                Soul: What Does It Mean for Russian Children?
                                Intern. Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 2001

Play for young children is not recreation activity,... It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity.... Play is thinking time for young children. It is language time. Problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met.
                                                        James L. Hymes, Jr., Author
                                                       Child Development Specialist