When Children Reenact What They Experience at Home

In our one-to-one sessions, we often work with children who live in constant inner turmoil. Turmoil so wild and confusing that when we meet them, we don't just talk - we show them what it feels like to be calm, safe, and soothed.

Some of these children aren’t just carrying chaos inside; it's playing out in the world around them too. With these children, we might sometimes encounter reenactment. They may suddenly step into the role of the adult, asking you to become the child, and what unfolds can offer huge insight into the child’s inner world.

If you hear them using language that feels far too grown-up, things no child would simply invent or pick up casually, and you notice a shift in their personality, it’s worth considering that they might be reenacting something from another part of their life.

When this happens, it can help to stay in the role play with them. Staying with the child in that moment allows them to process overwhelming experiences safely, in a way that feels manageable. Inside the play, there is space to gently reframe and rephrase the internal narrative they might be carrying.

If you find yourself walking by another practitioner mid-session, witnessing one of these moments, it can be helpful to pause before judging. Not every intense interaction is a sign of loose boundaries. Sometimes, it’s a child bravely processing something far bigger than words can hold. Sometimes, it’s a practitioner quietly holding space for that work to happen.

Together, we can notice:

Could this be role reversal?

Might this be a child working through confusion, fear, or grief - in the only way they know how?

When we meet these moments with curiosity rather than criticism, we strengthen the safety children need. And we strengthen each other, too. We've got to be the village for the child.

Remember: Play is the child’s language. Play is the child’s work.