Category: International Research
Leveraging alternative systems to support children’s development amid crisis
17 July 2025
Dr Nikhit D’Sa, a developmental psychologist and applied education researcher, share lessons from four years of research with communities in Haiti at the PEDAL Conference 2025.
Children’s risky play: Thrilling experiences and developmental benefits
17 July 2025
Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Professor at the Department of Physical Education and Health at Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway, attended the PEDAL Conference 2025 to give the David Whitebread Memorial Lecture.
Early childhood development and the ‘next 1000 days’
17 July 2025
Dr Catherine Draper, Associate Professor in the SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, attended the PEDAL Conference 2025 to present her work on ‘the next 1000 days’ (2-5 years).
Play: The future of learning and thriving
17 July 2025
Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Head of Educational Impact at LEGO Education, attended the PEDAL Conference 2025 to discuss how play can be more deeply integrated into education, work, and society.
Fostering the psychological wellbeing of children diagnosed with cancer: Multidisciplinary insights in paediatric oncology
18 February 2025
PEDAL PhD student Paulina Perez-Duarte Mendiola contributed to this paper which was published last month in the Psycho-oncology section of Frontiers in Psychology.
It’s a Pandemic in the Playborhood: An International Perspective of Play Therapists on the COVID-19 Pandemic
7 January 2025
The COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and beyond, impacted many professions and workplaces, including therapists and their therapy rooms.
Using young children’s perspectives in research and practice
3 December 2024
In this PEDAL Conference 2024 recording, PEDAL staff present research which uses playful methods to elicit the perspectives of young children to better understand their experiences of school and hospital.
What is a common elements approach?
27 November 2024
This short animation explains what a common elements approach is, and why PEDAL are using it in our research.
A playful retrospective on the power of play for young children and children living in contexts of conflict and crisis
27 November 2024
In this PEDAL Conference 2024 keynote, Paul Frisoli playfully reflects on the last 5 years of The LEGO Foundation funding in humanitarian settings.
Universality without Uniformity: Appreciating High-Quality Practices in Low-Resource Settings
22 October 2024
In this PEDAL Conference 2024 keynote, Professor Junlei Li speaks about the power of everyday interactions in early childhood.