SRF Program

Self-initiated play is regarded as a way for children to explore the world and learn about themselves. The assumption is that pretend play will help to improve multiple areas of child development, including language, self-regulation, social interactions and problem-solving. Two workshops are available:

The Learn to Play Approach for Kindergarten Teachers Workshop (two day online workshop, plus three x 1.5 hour Q&A follow-up sessions)

The two day online workshop is designed to give educators a deeper understanding of pretend play, how it develops, and why pretend play is important for literacy, narrative understanding, social competence and self-regulation.

This practical workshop will take educators through the Pretend Play Checklist for Teachers with case studies for practice. The Pretend Play Checklist for Teachers is a new assessment to assist educators to observe and report on the pretend play ability of children in their care. It provides a framework to assist educators identify targeted activities at kindergarten, information to pass onto parents, and specific observations of a child's play to inform report writing and transition reports.

The three Q&A follow-up sessions (1.5hrs per session) are scheduled approximately three weeks from the date of the two day workshop. These sessions are designed to consolidate the information covered in the workshop, allowing for educators who have begun implementing the Learn to Play Approach in their service to ask questions.

The Pretend Play Checklist for Teachers (PPC-T) Manual and Pack of Assessment Scoring Forms are covered in the cost of the workshop and will be posted to you prior to the workshop. These will be used during the workshop.