Play with Purpose: Honouring Children’s Learning Through Meaningful and Individualised Play
Play with Purpose: Honouring Children’s Learning Through Meaningful and Individualised Play
Support Group - Monday 1st September 2025
6:00pm - 8:00pm AEST (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania)
6:30pm - 8:30pm South Australia, Northern Territory
6:00pm - 8:00pm Western Australia
Individual - $119 - Team - $499
Tax Deductible, Certificate received for Professional Development
EYLF v2.0 Outcomes 1, 4, 5
NQF Quality Areas 1, 5, 6
Theorists: Vygotsky, Piaget, Erikson, Gardner, Montessori, Reggio Emilia
Overview
Learning through play is their brain's favourite way — play is learning. This professional development session re-centres play as the heart of early childhood education, exploring how educators can intentionally implement experiences that respond to each child’s interests, strengths, culture, and development.
Educators will strengthen their ability to:
Recognise rich, complex learning in play
Use play to plan for and extend individual development
Link play to outcomes and theorists
Explain the importance of play to families with confidence and clarity
What Early Childhood Educators Will Learn:
A clear understanding of why play is essential for development and learning
Tools to plan individualised, purposeful play experiences
Confidence in communicating the learning value of play to families
Practical ways to link play with EYLF outcomes and developmental theory
Renewed inspiration to honour play in every part of the day
Topics
1. Why Play Matters
The neuroscience of play: How the brain builds through exploration
The difference between play-based learning and free play
How play supports self-regulation, creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving
EYLF Link: Outcome 4 – Confident and Involved Learners
Theorists: Piaget (constructivist play), Erikson (initiative & exploration)
2. Implementing Individualised Play Experiences
Using observations, conversations, and curiosity to plan
Adapting play for sensory needs, language, culture, and developmental stage
Creating invitations to play with open-ended materials and provocations
Documenting how individual interests become learning
EYLF Link: Outcomes 1 & 5 | NQF QA1, QA5
Theorists: Reggio Emilia (100 languages), Gardner (multiple intelligences)
3. Designing Environments that Invite Play and Learning
Curating spaces with flexibility, beauty, and purpose
Supporting solitary, parallel, and cooperative play
Making learning visible through play-based documentation
Indoors/outdoors, quiet/active, social/reflective balances
NQF QA3 – Physical Environment
4. Play as Relationship-Building
Co-playing with intention: following rather than leading
Recognising social and emotional cues through play
Supporting shy, introverted, or non-verbal learners through parallel play
Building a culture of belonging through play
EYLF Outcome 1 – Strong Sense of Identity
Theorists: Vygotsky (zone of proximal development, scaffolding)
5. Linking Theorists to Play in Practice
Theorist Play Principle
Vygotsky Learning occurs socially through guided interaction
Piaget Play develops cognitive structures through active discovery
Montessori Self-directed, purposeful play with real-world materials
Gardner Children express intelligence in diverse, playful ways
Erikson Play fosters identity, trust, and autonomy
Reggio Emilia The environment is the third teacher; play is expression
6. Talking to Families: Helping Them Understand the Power of Play
Shifting the language from “just play” to “deep learning”
Sharing learning stories that show outcomes through play
Family-friendly ways to explain play-based learning
Inviting families into play: home projects, interest sharing, ideas
NQF QA6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families
EYLF Principle: Partnerships with families
7. 50 Early Learning Play Experiences
This collection of 50 experiences supports children from birth to 8 years through developmentally appropriate, play-based learning. Each experience is grounded in the EYLF v2.0, shaped by theorists, and tailored to children’s stages, interests, and strengths.
Infants: Focus on sensory exploration, connection, and early communication
Toddlers: Support imitation, movement, independence, and expressive play
Preschoolers: Nurture imagination, problem-solving, early literacy/numeracy
School-age: Extend critical thinking, inquiry, leadership, and real-world learning
All experiences promote identity, wellbeing, confidence, and communication through meaningful, inclusive play — adaptable across all settings and linked clearly to EYLF outcomes and NQF quality areas.
7. Reflection & Action Planning
Are we observing and planning from play with depth?
How are we adapting play to support every child’s learning journey?
How confident are we in advocating for play with families?
What do our environments say about what we value?
Support Group - Monday 1st September 2025
6:00pm - 8:00pm AEST (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania)
6:30pm - 8:30pm South Australia, Northern Territory
6:00pm - 8:00pm Western Australia
Individual - $119 - Team - $499
Tax Deductible, Certificate received for Professional Development
EYLF v2.0 Outcomes 1, 4, 5
NQF Quality Areas 1, 5, 6
Theorists: Vygotsky, Piaget, Erikson, Gardner, Montessori, Reggio Emilia
Overview
Learning through play is their brain's favourite way — play is learning. This professional development session re-centres play as the heart of early childhood education, exploring how educators can intentionally implement experiences that respond to each child’s interests, strengths, culture, and development.
Educators will strengthen their ability to:
Recognise rich, complex learning in play
Use play to plan for and extend individual development
Link play to outcomes and theorists
Explain the importance of play to families with confidence and clarity
What Early Childhood Educators Will Learn:
A clear understanding of why play is essential for development and learning
Tools to plan individualised, purposeful play experiences
Confidence in communicating the learning value of play to families
Practical ways to link play with EYLF outcomes and developmental theory
Renewed inspiration to honour play in every part of the day
Topics
1. Why Play Matters
The neuroscience of play: How the brain builds through exploration
The difference between play-based learning and free play
How play supports self-regulation, creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving
EYLF Link: Outcome 4 – Confident and Involved Learners
Theorists: Piaget (constructivist play), Erikson (initiative & exploration)
2. Implementing Individualised Play Experiences
Using observations, conversations, and curiosity to plan
Adapting play for sensory needs, language, culture, and developmental stage
Creating invitations to play with open-ended materials and provocations
Documenting how individual interests become learning
EYLF Link: Outcomes 1 & 5 | NQF QA1, QA5
Theorists: Reggio Emilia (100 languages), Gardner (multiple intelligences)
3. Designing Environments that Invite Play and Learning
Curating spaces with flexibility, beauty, and purpose
Supporting solitary, parallel, and cooperative play
Making learning visible through play-based documentation
Indoors/outdoors, quiet/active, social/reflective balances
NQF QA3 – Physical Environment
4. Play as Relationship-Building
Co-playing with intention: following rather than leading
Recognising social and emotional cues through play
Supporting shy, introverted, or non-verbal learners through parallel play
Building a culture of belonging through play
EYLF Outcome 1 – Strong Sense of Identity
Theorists: Vygotsky (zone of proximal development, scaffolding)
5. Linking Theorists to Play in Practice
Theorist Play Principle
Vygotsky Learning occurs socially through guided interaction
Piaget Play develops cognitive structures through active discovery
Montessori Self-directed, purposeful play with real-world materials
Gardner Children express intelligence in diverse, playful ways
Erikson Play fosters identity, trust, and autonomy
Reggio Emilia The environment is the third teacher; play is expression
6. Talking to Families: Helping Them Understand the Power of Play
Shifting the language from “just play” to “deep learning”
Sharing learning stories that show outcomes through play
Family-friendly ways to explain play-based learning
Inviting families into play: home projects, interest sharing, ideas
NQF QA6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families
EYLF Principle: Partnerships with families
7. 50 Early Learning Play Experiences
This collection of 50 experiences supports children from birth to 8 years through developmentally appropriate, play-based learning. Each experience is grounded in the EYLF v2.0, shaped by theorists, and tailored to children’s stages, interests, and strengths.
Infants: Focus on sensory exploration, connection, and early communication
Toddlers: Support imitation, movement, independence, and expressive play
Preschoolers: Nurture imagination, problem-solving, early literacy/numeracy
School-age: Extend critical thinking, inquiry, leadership, and real-world learning
All experiences promote identity, wellbeing, confidence, and communication through meaningful, inclusive play — adaptable across all settings and linked clearly to EYLF outcomes and NQF quality areas.
7. Reflection & Action Planning
Are we observing and planning from play with depth?
How are we adapting play to support every child’s learning journey?
How confident are we in advocating for play with families?
What do our environments say about what we value?