Play Action’s play programmes are delivered through a capacity building approach, meaning that we can work in communities over short intensive periods, providing maximum impact for these communities. We upskill community members to become playworkers, trained in play-work, educational play and trauma relief techniques. These playworkers are a central part of all playground build work – they help children engage with new play facilities, and this is particularly important for those who are especially vulnerable or marginalised. Playworkers can also then work with other agencies to identify children or families who need extra support.
Play Action also provides training to early years educators to help them incorporate play-based tools into their teaching to support children’s learning and development and ability to recover from trauma. Using play-based teaching, these educators can then ensure children’s learning experiences are more effective and there is a greater understanding of what is being taught.
We recently undertook this training with Educators at an ECD (Early Childhood Development Centre) in BidiBidi refugee settlement which is one of the largest refugee settlements in the world. We worked with educators by equipping them with skills, knowledge and understanding to transform their teaching styles and utilise the benefits of play within their teaching. Educators learned how to use newly installed playground facilities as a teaching aid and furthered their knowledge by creating and developing lesson plans that incorporate play.
Through this training, educators developed their knowledge, including building their understanding of how to use the natural environment playfully as part of her teaching. Watch the video below:
Samira, a teacher who recently underwent training to integrate play into her teaching methodology talks about the benefits.
Find out more about the impact of our Educational Play Training and how you can support more educators and disadvantaged children through our work. Learn about the impact.
