Introduction to Play

This course provides an overview of playwork research and practice regarding self-directed play. It is ideal for those new to working with children, or new to self-directed play.

It shares both theory and practical ideas for resources and space set-up for play, as well as the adult role in enabling play to happen. This course is suited to practitioners working with children of a wide age range, from 2 years and up. The session involves a mix of presentations, hands-on activities and discussions.

The length is 2-3 hours depending on your needs. This course may be part of our annual training programme on a fixed date, but can be bought-in at other times. Please check our website for up-to-date information.

Our 2018 delegates rated this course (on average) 8.5 out of 10 (where 10 is excellent).

“I feel discussing everyone’s practice really helped talking about different ways you can do different activities and the way you look at different situations.” (delegate)

“I’ve learned a lot of new types of play as well as a range of approaches to use with the children.” (delegate)

Play Midlothian works to support children to flourish though play. We focus on play because we know how much this benefits children’s health, wellbeing and development. It is important for their lives in the here and now as well as for their future life chances. Our aims are to: Provide enriching opportunities for children to play in support of their health, wellbeing and development Build family, community and professional capacity to support play Advocate for play and inform and influence decision-making We specialise in play, with expertise that supports other organisations though a CPD programme and delivers best practice services for children. Play Midlothian is an experienced and trusted charity. We have nine standard training courses to choose from. We run a selection of these courses each year, in Midlothian. Anyone, from any area, is welcome to book and a discount is provided for Play Midlothian members. Additionally, organisations can buy-in any of our courses as in-house training, including from other local authority areas. These sessions can be tailored to your specific needs and interests. For up-to-date information on our conference and training, please visit our website – www.playmidlothian.org.uk or contact Susan at susan@playmidlothian.org.uk.

Provider Title:
Play Midlothian

Contact Number:
0131 663 2243

Contact Email:
susan@playmidlothian.org.uk

Website:
http://www.playmidlothian.org.uk

Play Midlothian’s experience of facilitating play opportunities throughout a wide range of service models is a strength of the organisation on which the training draws. We ensure our courses are delivered by trainers with extensive knowledge of play and experience and skill in both playwork and training delivery. Our lead trainer is qualified to Masters level and is working on a PhD on outdoor play. We regularly review and update the course content. The training courses are carefully evaluated. We ask the delegates to assess their knowledge of the topic, and their skills and confidence to implement that knowledge, prior to the training. We ask delegates to score these again after the training. We also ask delegates to score the trainer’s delivery and the course overall, and to share their views on the most and least useful aspects of the course. All results are compiled and reviewed for learning. All of our evaluation results demonstrate an increase in delegates’ knowledge, skills and confidence as a result of our training. Complaints should be made in writing (which could be by email or post) to the Managing Director. Play Midlothian’s full Complaints and Compliments Policy is available on our website.