Play Training Courses and Workshops
New ‘Playing Up’ CPD Programme
The new GRUMPY ‘Playing Up’ Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme offers the opportunity to up-date and enhance understanding of the central importance of play in children’s lives. Designed for the Children’s Workforce and allied professions, the workshops explore the myriad benefits that play has for the well-being and development of children and young people, and how rich and diverse play environments can make a significant contribution to supporting the Every Child Matters outcomes.
The CPD Programme, based on the recent research findings from ‘Play for a Change’ (Lester and Russell, 2008) opens with a core workshop focusing on the intrinsic characteristics of play. Following completion of this, further workshops can be selected according to specific professional roles in supporting children’s play. We can also design additional workshops beyond those outlined in the programme in response to organisational needs. Opening the workshop title links will provide further detail for each session.
- Workshop 1 The Nature of Play (core): considers the significance and benefits of play to children’s well-being, drawing on research from a range of disciplines.
- Workshop 2 Playwork and Playwork Principles: explores the playwork principles and implications for practice. Essential for practitioners in supervised play settings, setting managers and development workers.
- Workshop 3 Planning for play: guiding principles for planning, evaluating, and enriching a diverse range of play spaces. Suitable for a wide variety of practitioners.
- Workshop 4 The Human Environment for Play: developing effective relationships with children and maintaining a prevailing playful feel to the play setting. Particularly suitable for face-to-face practitioners.
- Workshop 5 Playing Out: explores children’s relationship with natural spaces and the implications for the design and management of outdoor play sites.
- Workshop 6 Play and creativity: how do we support children’s sense of creativity through the design of the play space? What range of materials and prompts can we use to enhance children’s creative expression? Suitable for a wide variety of practitioners.
- Workshop 7 Play, Uncertainty and Risk: looking the unique design features of play in creating uncertainty, and how adults can support this process. Particularly relevant to understanding risk assessment from a play perspective.
- Workshop 8 Play and Moving: Responds to the increasing concerns over children’s health and fitness, and how we can create a setting that will encourage a broad range of ‘locomotor’ play.
- Workshop 9 Identifying Quality in Play Spaces: considers a range of concepts, principles and approaches to enable effective monitoring and evaluation of play provision. Of particular relevance to senior practitioners and managers.
Workshop Details: PlayingUpFullworkshopdetails.doc
Detailed Outline: DetailedOutline.doc
Organisers can select any number of workshops, please email for fees information. (costings do not include venues)
** For fees & other information, please email: training@grumpy.org.uk
Grumpy new ’Playing Out’ Course !
Grumpy have designed a range of training courses to look at the nature and importance of children’s play and to consider how we as adults can support creative and attractive play experiences for and with children.
All our training courses are inclusive, informal and fun. Timings and duration all training courses are flexible. Our courses will suit parents, carers, teachers, managers, etc as all our training is designed and adjusted to meet the number of delegates and organisers’ training requirements.
Grumpy Salford and Blackpool offer excellent venues for all the courses with in-house resources and creche facilities. Organisers booking courses at Grumpy venues will qualify for preferential room hire rates.
Training Courses Available
- Remember Play Matters (5 hours) – an introductory session that explores our own memories of playing.
- i play (15 hours) – an exploration of the creative nature of children’s play. Remembering the nature of play and recognizing the role of the adult in supporting children’s play.
- Playing Out (30 hours) - Level 2. A NEW and short Grumpy Level 2 SkillsActive Course (fully endorsed by SkillsActive, London) to explore the nature of children’s outdoor play, consider the importance of this to health and well-being and outline how adults can develop attractive and challenging outdoor play spaces. This tailored made programme is aimed at all adults who may have playful contact with children - playworkers, play rangers, parents, carers, teachers, managers in play settings, nursery & early years workers, childminders… The programme is very playful, and considers why outdoor play is important and how adults can best support children’s opportunities to play out. It will introduce a range of skills and approaches that will significantly enchance children’s outdoor play.
- Play & Creativity (40 hours) – Level 2/3 NVQ module fully endorsed by SkillsActive, London – this informal and fun course explores in detail the key assumptions associated with the work we do with children. The course ofers an appreciation of the creative processes and nature of children’s play, and an understanding of supporting children’s spirit of creativity and imagination. It provides an opportunity to learn new creative techniques and skills to identify key qualities associated with play and creativity.
- Understand how to support children’s spirit of creativity and imagination
- Appreciate the creative process of working with recycled materials and play
- Gain skills and confidence to support play opportunities
- Design & develop stimulating physical environment that promote choice & challenge
- Extend your knowledge and explore the nature of children’s play
Blackpool 01253 767 251 Salford 0161 737 1644 email training@grumpy.org.uk
- Grumpy Creative Making Ways with Waste Adult Training – minimum 3 hours. Hands-on training designed and developed to build confidence, learn new skills and techniques to work with Grumpy recycled scrap and new material. Fun, inclusive and informal with emphasis on hands-on activities designed to encompass equality and diversity.
For more Grumpy training information & costs, please contact The Play Training Team.
Telephone 0161 737 1644 or email training@grumpy.org.uk
