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Play and health

We explore the role and value of children’s play in healthcare contexts, inclusive of both physical and mental health.

When children are in a healthcare environment, play can be a powerful tool for meaningful communication or care – encouraging children’s learning and understanding, aiding in procedural preparation or distraction, or supporting coping or recovery.

Our vision for Play and Health

Play is a key feature of childhood and a right for all children, regardless of their environment or circumstances. Children will naturally seek out play opportunities even in settings that seem inconducive to play, such as a hospital or clinic. Our research looks at play in health from a variety of perspectives with the overarching goal of understanding and improving how we care for children’s health and quality of life.

You can find out more about our work exploring play in health below.

Playing with Children’s Health? A scoping review of recent literature on play and children’s health

PEDAL's new report for the Starlight Children’s Foundation explores the connection between play and children’s health in healthcare contexts.

How can emotionally healthy workplaces support emotionally healthy families?

PEDAL's new report written for The Centre for Emotional Health investigates how employers’ can support parents’ emotional health and their parenting.

Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood: A PEDAL and UNICEF UK Toolkit

PEDAL and UNICEF UK have created a toolkit for supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood which aims to support and enhance a deeper understanding of what we mean by mental health in the early years.

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