Hospitalization of children is very stressful experience for both families and child-ren. Play is an effective means to ensure that hospitalized children cope with stress. Plays are highly valued aspects of care at the hospital. Since it is one of the key elements in the healthy development of children, familiarizing with all aspects of plays, and using them in pediatric care and treatment practices will help health professionals to make an important contribution to the recovery process of child-ren. In today's health institutions, where an increase in health service quality is pursued, play units must be established for children and certain professionals, such as play therapists, should be employed in these units. In developed countries, plays are used for therapeutic purposes at each stage of treatment and care. In order to reduce the stress experienced by children associated with hospital and diseases, the "therapeutic play" or "therapeutical play" concepts have emerged. Therapeutic play can be used at any stage starting from the preparation of the children for hos-pitalization to the time of their discharge.