What is a Play Facilitator - Thursday 2-3:15

Staff from the Grand Rapids Children's Museum talked about their philosophy of hiring and training floor staff, who they call "Play Facilitators."  (I wish they'd come up with a less dull and corporate-sounding name for what is a fun, playful job--it's sort of like calling toys "manipulatives.")

Their museum is very open, and they encourage open-ended play.  Their facilitators (generally young employees--many in high school and college), are trained to use the "kids lead, adults follow" approach.  They liken their jobs to improv comedy, where the approach to building a scene is "Yes, and. . ."  One actor (or child) starts the scene, and another actor (the facilitator) adds to what has already been created.  They encourage children's ideas and making messes, and they mediate play among children, between children and parents, and disappointment due to "failure"--encouraging kids, for example, to try something else when what they were trying to do didn't work.  Often, they use sneaky tricks to get parents involved in play.   One speaker shared a tip to get dads involved--when kids are building, ask dad to help stack a piece that's up high.  Before you know it, he'll be jumping in to join the play.

The design of the museum also contributes to this opnen-ended, creative approach.  There is little or no signage, beyond safety and bathroom signs.  The museum also has an open floor plan, with exhibit areas not walled off from one another.  And they make sure to have no toys branded with known characters (like Dora or Maisy, for example) in the museum, because kids tend to reenact the stories they already know with known characters.  They don't want to constrain children's creative thinking by directing how or where they should play and explore.  Elements from one area often find their way into other areas and are combined in new and creative ways.

Their hiring practices are a bit unusual, since they're not looking for the same qualities as most employers.  They seek "creative, artistic, quirky, goofy outside-the-box thinkers."  They add strange questions to their applications and interviews (like "what's your favorite shape and why?" or "How do you feel about dogs?").

Facilitators also go through fairly intensive training, observation and review.  In the 90-day review, they make sure to compliment and encourage the facilitator's strengths and play style.  This approach tends to keep people around longer.  In fact, all three presenters who are now in higher positions in the organization started as facilitators.

I'll end with one final thought: "Treat their play as a very serious thing, because to them, it is."

-Jason