Session 5 - Playful parenting: Supporting parents to understand the power of play

Playful parenting: Supporting parents to understand the power of play Prof Paul Ramchandani 11 March 2026 12:00 to 13:00

Paul Ramchandani PEDAL Research Centre pr441@cam.ac.uk

1. Produce world-leading research

2. Build capacity in the field of early years research

3. Influence policy and practice

Pedalhub.net

In this session Three things we know about play and its benefits.

Three ways we can use what we’ve learnt about child development and play to better inform and support parents.

1. Play has many types and meanings

What is play? Types of play

What is play?

Types (after Whitebread) Physical play Play with Objects Symbolic play Pretence/Socio-dramatic play Games with rules

Characteristics (after LF) Joyful Actively engaging Socially interactive Meaningful Iterative

What is play?

If you had to define it, what characteristics would you include?

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.”

Friedrich Froebel

What is play?

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

Singular definitions often fail, as a range of complex behaviours

What is play?

Play - Children’s play is any behaviour, activity or process initiated, controlled and structured by children themselves; it takes place whenever and wherever opportunities arise…

The key characteristics of play are fun, uncertainty, challenge, flexibility and non-productivity.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 31

2. Play has huge potential benefits

Play benefits • Physical play – health and fitness • Early parent-child play – strengthening core attachment relationships and socioemotional development • Peer play – improved social relationships and self-regulation • Pretend play – cognitive skills and creativity

NB Separating out play deprivation from other deprivations is difficult.

3. Play is central to children’s lives and experiences, but often marginalised by adults

When children are asked… “thematic analysis identified 25 priorities across four domains; Feeling able and enthusiastic for school; navigating friendships and victimization; supportive environments with opportunities to play; bridging school and family life” O’Farrelly et al, (2020), Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Reconstructing Readiness: Young Children’s priorities for their early school adjustment.

When children are asked…

• The Big Conversation – Children’s Commissioner (England) • Play was the most commonly used word • Recommendation 19 (of 33)

When children are asked…

Don’t allow the word to become a barrier.

Recap: 3 things we know about play and its benefits.

1. Play has many types and meanings 2. Play has huge potential benefits 3. Play is central to children’s lives and experiences, but often marginalised by adults

How can we use what we’ve learnt about child development and play to better inform and support parents?

Take time to observe, go at children’s pace and follow their interest

1. Play to understand children’s communication and build relationships

Intervention: VIPP-SD • Video Feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Development (VIPP-SD) developed in the Netherlands.

• Underpinned by attachment theory and social learning theory • Parent-child interaction is filmed and played back to parents with a focus on positive interactions.

• Sessions promoting parents’ capacity to identify and respond sensitively to exploratory behaviour and attachment cues.

The programme Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting & Sensitive Discipline

Study Design Two-group, researcher-blind, pragmatic randomised controlled trial

300 Baseline (children aged 2 years) Programme Control

5-month follow-up

2-year follow-up (aged 4)

6-year follow-up (aged 8)

Study Design Externalising behaviour Internalising Prosocial behaviour behaviour

Parental sensitivity Parental discipline Parent mental health Coparenting

MEASUR ES

Executive function Delay of gratification Temperament Story stems

Pretend play Parental playfulness

Study Design Externalising behaviour Internalising behaviour Prosocial behaviour

Parental sensitivity Parental discipline Parent mental health Coparenting

MEASURE S

Executive Delay of function Temperament gratification Story stems

Pretend play Parental playfulness

Read more

Play as fun and engagement 2. Play to build a love of reading and book sharing

Playtime with Books

5 x Online Sessions

Book Packs

Video call check-ins

Book packs

Online skills session

The power of inquisitiveness and exploration

3. Guided Play to improve children’s learning

The spectrum of learning through play 1 Child choice

• Free play • Guided play • Direct instruction

Child choice and freedom to explore Structure and adult control

2

Learning goal

3

Adult guidance

Guided play • • • • • • •

Model Give hints & prompts Make suggestions Ask open-ended questions Set challenges Co-play Be sensitive to children’s individual interests & needs

1 Child choice

2 Learning goal

3 Adult guidance

Guided play

•

Effectiveness trials

• •

Guided play: ‘Detectives’ discovering the ‘secrets of shapes’ + adult support Direct instruction: Children given information about shape properties Free play: Children freely played with shapes

Fisher et al. (2011; 2013)

Systematic review - method CHILDREN AGED 8 YEARS OR UNDER

GUIDED PLAY INTERVENTI ON

CONTROL GROUP

Study characteristics 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

1 to 3

1 to 6

3 to 6

Age group

3 to 8

Summary of findings • Guided play worked as well as formal teaching in several areas (e.g., numeracy, literacy, social skills, executive functions).

• Guided play helped children master skills in some areas of maths better than direct instruction.

• Heterogeneity in the delivery of guided play across studies.

Three things we know about play and its benefits.

01

02

03

Play has many types and meanings

Play has huge potential benefits

Play is central to children’s lives and experiences, but often marginalized by adults

Three ways we can use what we’ve learnt about play to improve what we do for children in research and practice

Take time to observe, go at children’s pace and follow their interest

Fun and engagement

The power of inquisitiveness and exploration

Thank you!

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© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2025 © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2021

Next steps

Getting started with play-based learning in early years https://cambrid.ge/play-based-learning-getting-started

Explore Cambridge Early Years​ www.cambridgeinternational.org/earlyyears