fantastic thread Fuzzybear.

my alters were not the kind that did a lot of playing. they were in control only when I was triggered into having my dissociative symptoms (numb spaced out,...) due to a trigger and then the alter that took control was the one that handled that trigger.

what that means for me is that in order for them to play, playing had to be a trigger for me. then the alter who's job it was to handle being triggered while playing would take control and handle that triggering event.

that said I did have alters that found it comforting to hold toys and blankets as a self soothing / self nurturing / grounding while handling what ever the trigger was that caused me to dissociate and their taking control.

I kept blankets, stuffed toys and other toys around the house from my childhood years around the house and children's books that were from my childhood also. Sometimes I would buy something new but mostly my alters were the kind that held, cuddled, wrapped up in what was familiar to who and what they were.

for example Rainy preferred a hand crocheted afgan to wrap up in which I find is completely reasonable considering when I was her age a family member had made a hand crocheted afgan for my bed. She also had a definite doll of the same time frame, and a favorite ball.

now that they are all integrated with me I sometimes do wrap up in that special blanket, and hold that lite brite and princess of power she ra dolls. my family and I still sometimes play box ball with the red rubber ball.