Category: Video / Animation

Play as Resilience, Play as Mastery: Supporting Practitioners and Families Across the UK
8 September 2022
Play is a child’s normal. Play is both a powerful means of communication, and how we understand the world that we live in. Starlight Children’s Foundation is committed to protecting the right of all children to have opportunities to play, particularly children who are seriously ill and/or engaged with the UK healthcare system on a […]

Pedagogy of Play: What Playful Learning Involves (And Why It Is Important)
8 September 2022
Around the world, research trends are showing that there is more play and playfulness in schools. From age four to fourteen (and beyond), children are leading their own learning, exploring the unknown, and finding joy in facing challenges at school. However, most students beyond early childhood do not currently have the opportunity to learn playfully […]

A: Astronauts, play and COVID testing
6 July 2022
How can we use play to help children engage with the COVID-19 swab?

T: Transitions: Play and the transition to school
6 July 2022
How can we use play to support children in their transition to school?

Play and infant interactions with caregivers
5 July 2022
What are the benefits of quality playful interactions with your infant?

David Whitebread Memorial Lecture 2022: Theory and Research on Self-Regulated Learning Meet Real Life in Classrooms
15 June 2022
PEDAL and the Whitebread family come together annually for the David Whitebread Memorial Lecture to celebrate the memory of Dr David Whitebread, PEDAL’s founder and a pioneer in early childhood development research. This is a recording of the inaugural David Whitebread Memorial Lecture, given by Professor Nancy Perry from the University of British Columbia in […]

Power of Play: Evidence on Playful Early Learning in Bangladesh and BRAC’s PlayBook Launch
6 December 2021
Early childhood is a critical time in a child’s development and life. When play is integrated into how we care for and educate young children, it promotes their development and helps them grow into adaptable, resilient, socially and emotionally literate adults who can navigate the world and overcome the adversities of poverty, crisis and conflict […]

Agency in Play: Making Space for Children’s Agency With Learning Through Play
6 December 2021
This short animation summarises a new theoretical paper written by the Play in Schools & Learning team that explains the role of play in supporting children’s agency in their learning. How can you make space for children’s agency in their learning? By including play! Play develops children’s motivation and self-regulation, both of which support children’s […]

Evidence-based interventions in the first 1001 days: A PEDAL panel discussion
1 October 2021
PEDAL and the First 1001 Days Movement hosted a fascinating lunchtime panel considering how to ensure our youngest children and their families receive the most appropriate, timely and effective intervention to support their health and development. Professor Mike Robling (Director of Population Health Trials, University of Cardiff) and Professor Paul Ramchandani (LEGO Professor of Play, […]

School Break Times & Young People’s Social Lives in England
16 June 2021
In this lunchtime webinar, PEDAL was joined by Dr Ed Baines from the UCL’s Institute of Education. School breaktimes are important social play settings for children and young people. In the past decade there have been changes to schools and education in England, reports of increases in structured school clubs, and concerns about school food, […]