“It’s just play”: A focus on play for wraparound childcare and afterschool childminders

Aims

This workshop aims to consider:

• Is play a waste of time?
• The different theories around play and how they help to improve your provision
• Supporting children to play socially and independently.
• How to support children to disagree well and when to intervene
• What the benefits of good play opportunities are for everyone.

Summary

Is it OK for our children to play after school?, Should they be doing their homework or learning new skills rather than messing about with their friends?

• Can you name a play theory?
• Do you recognise a play type?
• Are there benefits to play that you can explain to others, such as parents and gatekeepers.

Play seems to have a bad name, we want our children to “do well”, “get ahead” but is there room for play in that when is it deemed a waste of time?

This workshop aims to answer these questions and help to identify the huge benefits gained from self-directed, quality play opportunities.