Playwork: A Free Play Revolution for Children's Museums

1:15-2:30 pm

Megan Dickerson, The New Children's Museum
Diana Weisbrot, The New Children's Museum
Erica Larsen-Dockray, Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play
Jeremmiah Dockray, Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play

I was especially excited  for this session, as the idea of playwork is still fairly new to children's environments in the United States. It has been a field of practical application and research for quite a while in the UK, Japan, and maybe some other places- anyone familiar with this?

While similar to providing play provocations and encouraging, playwork seems to take a step back from usual programming/facilitating.

Playwork Guidelines
Personally directed
Intrinsically motivated
Freely Chosen

Lovely description from a child-
"Play is what I do when everybody else stops telling me what to do."

*As adults, we can recall the spaces we felt most comfortable in may not have been specifically designed with children in mind. Instead, as children we sought out and created an environment (whether physical or imaginary) that provided us with wonderful experiences. Some group sharing-

-outdoor spaces (yard, creek, beach, etc.)
-hidden spaces (under tables, small corners/closets/spaces behind bushes)
-peaceful spaces (theater, studios, etc.)

The overwhelming response from the group was that these spaces occurred in nature.

Playwork, in many ways, is very close to some of the services and opportunities that we provide to our youngest patrons. Some of the principles of playworkers-

• Play workers treat children with unconditional positive regard in their approach. Sometimes this may push our boundaries, making us feel uncomfortable. However, if the child is safe, doing the best they can to solve a task, etc. it is the job of the playworker to acknowledge that the child is doing the best they can in that moment.
• Playworkers support all children by providing a space in which they can play. This allows for deviation from what may have been your planned purpose. THIS IS OKAY! Sometimes the places a child may take an activity are completely different from what we as adults intended - this exploration is wonderful and facilitates many developmental domains for children.
• Despite this, it does not mean that ANYTHING goes. Play should be within reason, allowing each individual involved to be as safe as necessary.
• Playworkers intervene when necessary, but should work to balance risk with potential benefit for children as they learn to problem solve, work collaboratively, etc.

To me what much of this could be summed up in is that we as adults may need to take moment to readjust our expectations and intentions when providing opportunities for children. A focus on the child's developmental process and self-guided discovery to what they are capable of, interested in, etc. 

Many of the playwork spaces and adventure playgrounds shared by the presenters contained an element of loose parts - open-ended play objects, often found/repurposed materials that were left available to the children, but not set in any particular design or order. These arrangements allowed children to develop their own ideas, gradually creating games with rules, expectations, etc. 

A key role of playworkers in these adventure spaces is to address parent concerns and model relinquishing of control to provide children with the best experiences. This involves the potentially scary idea of trusting in children's efficacy and ability to communicate, build relationships, and have successful social interactions. Some risks are acceptable! Chances are, the children are much more capable than adults have allowed them to be.

If you are interested in learning more about playwork, please let me know! The website below also offers a nice introduction to playwork :)

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/playwork

-Rina