Effects of Play Therapy on Parent-Child Attachment, Family Communication, and Parent-Teacher Cooperation in Childcare Center

This study examined the effects of play therapy conducted in childcare centers on parent-child attachment, family communication, and parent-teacher cooperation. Sixteen children were equally assigned to an experimental group (n = 8) and a control group (n = 8). The experimental group participated in 20 sessions of play therapy from September 2024 to February 2025, with each session lasting 50 minutes (40 minutes of play therapy and 10 minutes of parent counseling). To strengthen home-institution collaboration, monthly meetings were also held with homeroom teachers to discuss major concerns and provide consistent support for families. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted using parent-reported measures: the Parent-Child Attachment Scale, the Family Communication Scale, and the Parent-Teacher Cooperation Scale. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-group differences and Mann-Whitney U tests for group homogeneity with SPSS 21.0. The experimental group showed significant improvements in all three areas—parent-child attachment, family communication, and parent-teacher cooperation—while the control group exhibited no significant changes. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of play therapy in childcare centers for enhancing family and institutional interactions, providing important empirical evidence for its future application in early childhood settings.