Reflective Playwork

In a world where we are ever seeking to protect our children and to encourage their educational progress, it is often overlooked that the need for play is as important as the need for food and sleep. Drawing on playwork methodology, theory and practice, this extensively revised new edition of Reflective Playwork recognises that play is a need for all, and seeks to encourage the provision of time and space for all children to freely enjoy its benefits. Encouraging a greater understanding of play from a child's perspective and ways in which any adult can support and enhance play, it covers: playwork principles, the playwork approach, reflective practice and values, play theory, the child and their welfare and spaces for play. This edition has a greater focus on putting playwork theory into practice to address the needs of all those who work with children and play. Using more stories and case studies from real life situations and a wider range of settings including schools, children's centres, voluntary organisations and play therapy, Jacky Kilvington and Ali Wood help readers identify how to use the playwork approach and engage in reflective practice whoever and wherever they are. New and updated for this edition: - Key questions, reflection opportunities and further reading suggestions have been updated to include the latest research, terminology and current concerns for children and young people; - an updated glossary highlighting key playwork terminology; - a new chapter on playable spaces; - a new chapter on applying the playwork approach in other professions in the children's and continuing professional development; - a wider look at play and playwork across the Western world; - a renewed focus on showing links between playwork practice and other types of practice. Written in an accessible style, Reflective Playwork is approachable for foundation and undergraduate level students and above as well as practitioners.

Reflective Playwork provides an introduction to playwork values, principles and practice for all who work with children. It recognizes that play is a need for all, and seeks to encourage the provision of time and space for all children to freely enjoy its benefits. In a world where we are ever seeking to protect our children and to encourage their educational progress, it is often overlooked that the need for play is as important as the need for food and sleep. Play deprivation can result in a child having less energy for education, a lower ability to use creative and imaginative ways of problem solving, a poorer self image, being less able to cope with the stresses and strains of life and sometimes being more likely to look for ‘kicks' in anti-social ways. This book encourages a greater understanding of play from the child's perspective, and suggests ways in which adults can support and enhance play. It covers: •Playwork principles and practice •Play theory •The child •Playwork values and practice •Playwork and society •Playwork education, training and continuing professional development •Quality and management of playwork It is written for those who are instinctively, or otherwise, looking to promote and celebrate the need for play in all of their work with children, and who see their role as supportive rather than supervisory. Further, it is for those who recognize that the rewards of working with children come as a privilege. Reflective Playwork is for the playworker and for all others who work with children - such as childcare practitioners, teaching assistants, health workers, social workers, teachers and those in management - who are looking to understand and adopt, at appropriate times, the values and principles in their own settings.

Evolutionary Playwork and Reflective Analytic Practice will enable playwork students, practitioners and researchers to reassess the impact and purpose of playwork on children.

In a world where we are ever seeking to protect our children and to encourage their educational progress, it is often overlooked that the need for play is as important as the need for food and sleep. Drawing on playwork methodology, theory and practice, this extensively revised new edition of Reflective Playwork recognises that play is a need for all, and seeks to encourage the provision of time and space for all children to freely enjoy its benefits. Encouraging a greater understanding of play from a child's perspective and ways in which any adult can support and enhance play, it covers: playwork principles, the playwork approach, reflective practice and values, play theory, the child and their welfare and spaces for play. This edition has a greater focus on putting playwork theory into practice to address the needs of all those who work with children and play. Using more stories and case studies from real life situations and a wider range of settings including schools, children's centres, voluntary organisations and play therapy, Jacky Kilvington and Ali Wood help readers identify how to use the playwork approach and engage in reflective practice whoever and wherever they are. New and updated for this edition: - Key questions, reflection opportunities and further reading suggestions have been updated to include the latest research, terminology and current concerns for children and young people; - an updated glossary highlighting key playwork terminology; - a new chapter on playable spaces; - a new chapter on applying the playwork approach in other professions in the children's and continuing professional development; - a wider look at play and playwork across the Western world; - a renewed focus on showing links between playwork practice and other types of practice. Written in an accessible style, Reflective Playwork is approachable for foundation and undergraduate level students and above as well as practitioners.

Education.

Play is a crucial component in the development of all children. In this comprehensive and accessible text, Bob Hughes explores the complexities of children's play, its meaning and purpose, and argues that adult-free play is essential for the psychological well-being of the child. The book divides into three main sections. The first examines the fundamentals of evolutionary playwork, from creating the right play environment to issues of safety and participation. Secondly, the book explores the theory underlying playwork. Finally, the book offers new models to help the playworker develop their own professional practice. Throughout the text, the author brings his argument to life with vivid reflections on a lifetime's experience of play and playwork. Evolutionary Playwork and Reflective Analytic Practice is the first book of its kind, and represents essential reading for all playwork students, practitioners and researchers. It also incorporates dedicated material for parents looking to better understand and enhance the development of their children.

"[An] excellent book... With its breadth of discourse, it held my attention throughout. ... This book is informative, but also challenges views on the play experience and the playwork profession. It will be of interest to all those that work and play with young children. The place of playwork and playworkers... is described with passion: readers cannot help but be totally absorbed by this book." Early Years, Vol 24, No 1, March 2004 Children learn and develop through their play. In today's world the opportunities for that to happen are increasingly restricted. The profession of playwork seeks to reintroduce such opportunities, and so enable children to achieve their full potential. This book brings together many leading names in the playwork field, to produce a text that has something for everyone. The in-depth exploration of a range of theoretical perspectives will appeal to both playwork students and practising playworkers. Experienced practitioners offer sound practical advice about ways of improving playwork practice. There are chapters on the role of adventure playgrounds (past, present and future); the challenge of starting a playwork section in a local authority; and the value of networking. Contributors explore the essence of play; the historical roots of playwork; and the role of play cues in human and animal behaviour. There is an exploration of the astounding impact of a therapeutic playwork project on the development of a group of abandoned children in Romania. The final chapter reinforces the need for playworkers to be reflective practitioners in all aspects of their work.

Play is a crucial component in the development of all children. In this fully updated and revised edition of his classic playwork text, Bob Hughes explores the complexities of children’s play, its meaning and purpose, and argues that adult-free play is essential for the psychological well-being of the child. The book is divided into fourteen chapters that together examine the fundamentals of evolutionary play. Firstly, Hughes examines the very earliest ideas of playwork and its impact on brain growth and organization today. He then goes on to explore and explain the key theoretical concepts underlying playwork. These include discussions on free play and creating suitable play environments alongside more thorny issues such as safety and consultation. Finally, the book offers up some of Hughes’ most recent research that reveals how his approach to play and playwork in global society has continued to evolve throughout his career to meet new challenges and needs. Throughout this book, Hughes has included his fellow practitioner Mick Conway’s vivid observations of children at play to bring the facts and arguments in the text to life. This revised edition reflects important recent advances in our understanding of the evolutionary history of play and its impact on the development of the brain, of the role play in the development of resilience and of the impact of play deprivation. Evolutionary Playwork is still the only book to combine the reality of playwork practice with the fundamentals of evolutionary and developmental psychology, and it is still essential reading for all playwork students, practitioners and researchers.