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Category: Social and Emotional Development
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, […]
Play in Green Spaces: A PEDAL panel discussion
25 March 2021
Adults instinctively feel that playing outside is good for children, but what is actually known about the benefits of play in green spaces? As cities around the world continue to expand, more children are growing up without access to the countryside, or even to parks and gardens. Playtime takes place indoors or in the built […]
Parenting and Early Childhood in the Pandemic
2 February 2021
TEDxCambridgeUniversity’s event ‘The New Normal’ featured a talk from PEDAL PhD candidate Sabilah Eboo Alwani. This is a recording of Sabilah’s talk on Parenting and Early Childhood in the Pandemic. Sabilah’s research examines the relationship between parenting and early childhood development, including the themes of resilience and play. She is a longstanding practitioner in the fields […]
PEDAL September Speaker Series: The Way We Play – Play in Challenging Settings
25 September 2020
This webinar was part of our September Speaker Series, recorded in September 2020. These lunchtime sessions aimed to bring together academics, practitioners & policymakers to discuss some of play research’s key issues virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar focused on how play can manifest in challenging settings, and was chaired by Dr Jenny Gibson. […]
PEDAL Seminar: Toddlers Think for Themselves!
12 March 2019
Social learning has been a large focus of early developmental psychology for the past three decades. While it reveals how culture is transmitted to young children, questions about how young children come up with their own ideas and learn for themselves have been largely ignored. This talk, with Dr Elena Hoicka from the University of […]
Reconstructing readiness: Young children’s priorities for their early school adjustment
8 January 2019
This video provides an overview of the Children’s Thoughts about School Study (CTSS). CTSS was integrated into the evaluation of a community-led initiative called Preparing for Life (PFL) run by the UCD Geary Institute. The PFL aimed to improve levels of school readiness for children living in several disadvantaged areas of Dublin, Ireland. In the […]
Play at the Extremes: A panel discussion for parents, teachers and carers
9 November 2018
Join the conversation about the changing nature of childhood – are we really heading from ‘free range’ to ‘hot house’? We’ll hear if children are kept too safe, if parents and schools are too risk averse, and whether adventurous and independent play opportunities provide unique developmental, social and emotional benefits. Chaired by Dr Jenny Gibson, […]
A Prescription for Play: Why play fosters social and cognitive development
18 May 2018
Join PEDAL for a public lecture by world-renowned psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, evaluating the evidence for the importance of free play and guided play as a catalyst for learning in social and cognitive development. Kathy explored why play, particularly guided play, might offer a successful midway position between the warring factions of playful and didactic approaches […]