Play therapy focuses on the skills a child needs to play effectively with peers and independently. There is a different set of skills needed in order to engage in appropriate social skills. A child must first be able to play a game/play with a toy before they can be expected to take turns in a game/with a toy. Play therapy works of the skills needed to play with or want to play with games or toys. Once your child is fluent with skills needed to play games or toys itself then the social skills (in the higher forms of eye contact, responding to peers, initiating with peers) will be needed/used.