By Mark Woolsey

From the time you walk into The Playroom in East Cobb, the differences between their space and a typical kids’ indoor playground are readily apparent.

“I would describe us as a sensory friendly play space open to all families seeking purposeful play,” says Stephanie Fisher, who opened the business with husband Nate in October. The facility welcomes youngsters of all stripes-and their parents-and Fisher says they work with what she calls “big emotions.”

While the Playroom has no shortage of ways to jump, climb and otherwise interact with toys and equipment ( and of course other kids), it emphasizes moving back and forth between active play and activities designed to exercise their brains instead of their biceps.

There’s  a two-story play structure allowing kids to jump, slide and swing, a climbing zone with varying obstacles and a pillow jump, among other attractions.

But there’s also a place for the littles to build, create, experiment and solve  with a variety of open-ended toys.

Other equipment emphasizes help with crawling, standing and walking and developing gross motor skills. And quiet time is valuable as well.

“This is not a trampoline park or a bouncy house place,” Fisher says. “We want to prevent that overstimulation that happens when you take them to an indoor playground, and they come out exhausted and they’re crying and hungry.”

She says husband Nate has an entrepreneurial spirit and, as the mother of two little boys 19 months apart  she sought a safe place for them to play and use their busy brains. That made opening the center a natural.

Additionally, she says visits to kids’ play spaces, children’s museums and therapy clinics gave them good information on what overstimulates youngsters.

Their sensory design aims to avoid that assault on the senses  as it works with children struggling with emotional and behavioral issues and navigating their way through ADHD, autism and other challenges.

To that end, the Playroom is creating  classes such as “Regulation Ninjas.”

How does that work?

“In the green zone, you’re more calm and focused and that’s the zone that you need to be in in order to be able to learn,” Fisher says.

“If you’re starting to get excited or silly or frustrated you’re in the yellow zone,” she says, “and it’s harder to learn or to always make the right choices.”

The objective then becomes one of bringing kids back down into green, using breathing tools, purposeful exercise and directed thought processes, such as asking the youngsters to describe what things look like or smell like.

Another class they’ve developed, in conjunction with a speech therapist, is an early language development approach helping youngsters develop languages skills  sooner and with clearer speech patterns so that they don’t get frustrated over not being understood.

Speech and occupational therapists and tutors can occupy a therapy suite in the back of the facility for additional work with youngsters who may need it.

Families sing the praises of the Playroom’s approach.

Diana Sheadel is the mother  of two boys ages 2 and 5. Both are challenged by autism. One is also contending with ADHD while the other has a vision impairment.

She says she caught the vibe the  first time she walked into the place.

“I can tell they feel safe and are they are able to regulate their feelings and emotions. If they have any sad or angry feelings they’re able to go to a quiet space in the playroom and talk about it and calm down and then play again.”

“Says Fisher, “It’s an opportunity to teach kids through play. And what’s different than doing that at your house or on a play date is that you’re doing it with people you don’t necessarily know, because that’s the real world.”

The Fishers say plans for the future include more programs and camps that support executive functioning and emotional regulation. She says they also have plans for  yoga and tummy time for new moms and a morning playschool for 3 and 4-year-old children.

As their website puts it, “We designed the Playroom to have less “no” and a lot of yes.”

The Playroom East Cobb is located at 1344 E Cobb Dr Suite 200, Marietta, GA 30068