A valuable course for anyone working, or wishing to work with children as well as anyone wanting to expand their understanding and knowledge of child development through play and safety in play. Our staff have experience training play leaders since the late 1970s.

Play leaders are people who create and manage play opportunities. Sometimes play leaders are people who are fulfilling a duel role. They can be parents, teachers, pre school teachers, or nannies, who look after both the play needs, and other needs of children in their care.

Some play leaders are employed specifically to concentrate on managing the play needs of children. They may be an assistant to a teacher or care worker, or they may be employed in a supervised playground, play centre or other facility that focuses on play.

Uninterrupted play is important for a child’s social, physical and mental development; play encourages brain development, stimulates creativity, increases a child’s academic ability, and enhances quality of life through to adulthood. Children who have learnt how to play, will have a more playful and creative approach to life as adults.

This course is relevant to the provision of play opportunities for children, and teenagers.

• Understanding Play
• Leadership Skills
• Planning Play Programs
• Child Development through Play
• Play Safety
• Physical Play
• Social Play
• Adventure Play
• Play Apparatus
• Activities
• Special Project

• To explain the purpose of play in the cognitive, physical and social development of a child.
• To determine the skills required to carry out a play leadership role in different situations
• To develop a plan for a supervised children\'s play program.
• To develop a basic understanding of the impact of play upon the psychological development of a child.
• To determine appropriate measures to take to protect a child\'s safety when at play, while minimising any interference which might diminish the quality of the play experience.
• To develop an understanding of options for physical play activities, including games and sports, in a supervised play program. To develop an understanding of options for social play activities, in a supervised play program.
• To develop a basic ability to plan, establish and manage a supervised adventure
• To develop an ability to evaluate a range of different play apparatus, including playground structures, toys, sports equipment, commenting on quality, safety features, appropriate applications and cost benefit.
• To broaden your scope of opportunities that can be offered for children to play, appropriate to a wide range of different situations.