Forest schools: how climbing trees and making dens can help children develop resilience
Despite all the research that tells parents how good it is for their children to spend time playing outside, they are spending more time indoors than ever before. It seems that concerns about the dangers...Read more
Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop
You may have heard of play. It’s that thing children do – the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities and behaviours. Children play in many ways, including by exploring movements, constructing with equipment, creating games,...Read more
An alternative to the traditional playground in Chicago
Jessica Fong experienced her lightbulb moment one day when she was taking her Spry Elementary School preschool students to play at a nature park near the Little Village school. The park, which is called Jardincito,...Read more
Shaped by play and inclusive play
Play has an invaluable role in encouraging child development. But play isn’t just one thing. It’s an invitation to explore, learn and grow. Play opens up a world of possibilities. Play—on a playground, in a soccer...Read more
From playground risks to college admissions: Failure helps build kids’ resilience
With recent news of the college cheating scandal in which parents allegedly paid for their children to gain entrance to the most prestigious post-secondary institutions in the United States, increased attention has been placed on...Read more
Russian children play freely at Yeti
Remember your childhood. If you climbed the trees, scrambled along large boulders, ran along the roof of the garage, built houses on the trees and built snow fortresses, rolled down from the green hill and built...Read more
The first inclusive playground in a refugee camp
Za’atari Refugee Camp UNICEF opened Jordan’s first fully inclusive playground for children with disabilities. It is estimated that 30 per cent of Syrian refugees in Jordan have specific physical or intellectual needs. The playground contains a...Read more
Adventure Play in 70s East London P3
This article presents the third and final part of a case study interview with Tom Burns. In it, we discuss the role of a play-leader of an adventure playground and Tom’s advice for the setting...Read more
Adventure Play in 70s East London P2
This article presents the second part of a case study interview with Tom Burns. In it, we discuss early adventure pioneers and how Tom went about setting up an adventure playground. Tom Burns works as a...Read more
Adventure Play in 70s East London P1
This article presents a case study interview with Tom Burns. We have interviewed Tom to find out how he got involved in adventure play, and what he thinks of the benefits and also challenges of...Read more
Creating relevant playgrounds in a tech-driven world
How vital are playgrounds in today’s society? For many people, unstructured outdoor play is viewed as a luxury, not a necessity. As a result, children don’t devote as much time in unstructured outdoor play as...Read more
Three ways to encourage outdoor play
Encouraging children to be active and play outdoors can be challenging. The problem arises from the fact that they’re comfortable indoors with their iPads, watching their favourite shows and eating snacks. Motivating children to be...Read more
Virginia church renovates courtyard into playground
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 228 S. Pitt St. in Alexandria, Virginia recently completed a courtyard renovation project. The courtyard is situated between its historic sanctuary, designed in 1817 by famed architect Benjamin Latrobe (designer...Read more
Here’s how much kids need to move, play and sleep in their early years
Most of us would agree that we want to encourage children to be physically active, get enough sleep, and keep their screen time at healthy levels. But did you know that this starts from birth?...Read more