Play Scotland

01/10/2026

✨ Play is personal ✨

This lends itself very well to what we spoke about during Scottish Children's Health Week, in that one type of play doesn't suit every child. Here's to listening and letting children lead their play 👂

Listen to the latest ep of the Play Well Podcast where we speak with Mia Sundstrom at the National Institute for Play.

Available wherever you usually listen or here: https://bit.ly/3SxVgGh

29/09/2026

Play School is making a comeback!
After 38 years, the BBC is rebooting this much-loved show that celebrates the power of play, and we love to see it! 💚

What do you remember most about Play School? 👀

Some of our team are not quite old enough to remember the show. So what are your favourite TV shows that celebrate play? 🤔

Play School, which originally ran from 1964 to 1988, is set for a reboot on the BBC after 38 years off air.

28/09/2026

🌳 This practical and engaging online course explores children's right to play, what we mean by inclusive play, and how we can identify and remove the barriers that prevent some children from fully participating in play.

⚖ Inclusive play isn't about making every activity suitable for every child. It's about creating enough variety, flexibility, and choice for every child to have an equally valuable play experience.

https://bit.ly/4g6zHpa

25/09/2026

"Play is the most natural method of self-healing that childhood affords"
- Erik Erickson

24/09/2026

🌟 A brilliant afternoon talking all things play pedagogy in Fife!
We had a lovely afternoon at Capshard Primary in Kirkcaldy, working with a fantastic group of teachers who were all at different stages of their play pedagogy journey. Some were just beginning to dip their toe in the water, while others had lots of experience to bring to the conversation and share with the group.
Together, we explored play types, the play cycle, loose parts and the role of the adult in supporting play. There were some really interesting conversations about the journey from playful learning towards play pedagogy too, and how, for many teachers, building the confidence to step back, observe, trust children and allow play to develop without always directing where it goes can take time.
We talked about that lovely balance at the heart of play pedagogy. As teachers, we’re always thinking about learning and how we create the conditions for it, but genuine play belongs to the child. It’s freely chosen, intrinsically motivated and led by their own ideas, interests and motivations. So much of developing our practice is about recognising when to step in, when to offer something that might extend the play, and, just as importantly, when to step back and let children take it somewhere we hadn’t planned.
It was brilliant to have experienced practitioners sharing their knowledge too, particularly Lauren from Dunnikier Primary and Catherine from Capshard Primary, bringing real examples of what this can look like in practice.
We also managed to have a wee wander around one of Capshard’s fabulous P1 environments. There was so much thought behind the spaces, with open ended resources, loose parts, books and lots of opportunities for children to explore, create and follow their own ideas. The photos give you a wee peek! ❤️
A huge thank you to Dean Black for inviting us along, to Capshard Primary for such a warm welcome, and to everyone who came along, shared their experiences and joined in the conversations. A really lovely afternoon of learning from one another.

22/09/2026

PSA: Book your tickets for Play Scotland's AGM & Strategy Launch to celebrate and reflect on the past year, and to unveil our ambitions for the next five years 🎉

This promises to be an evening of celebration, connection, and inspiration. Be the first to hear about the future of Play Scotland, discover the opportunities ahead, and join a community of passionate advocates working to create a more playful nation.

https://events.humanitix.com/play-scotland-strategy-launch-and-agm

15/09/2026

We had such an interesting day at to Adultz Scotland 2026 today. We spoke to parents, grandparents, foster carers, childminders, professionals and organisations, all bringing really different experiences and perspectives on play.
Some of the conversations with families were particularly powerful. We heard about the challenges some face in making sure their children have opportunities to play, especially when accessibility, equipment, support, time, funding or the environment can all get in the way.
One of the strongest messages from the day was about listening to lived experience. It can be easy for professionals and organisations to think we know what children and families need, but sometimes the most important thing we can do is ask, listen properly, and then act on what people tell us.
We came away with lots of food for thought about the training, resources and projects we offer at Play Scotland, and where there may be opportunities to develop things further.
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped to chat, shared their experiences, added to our consultation boards, picked up resources or simply came over to say hello. It was a brilliant day and one that has definitely given us a lot to think about.


Kidz to Adultz Exhibitions

15/09/2026

What do you think of your local play parks?

We want you to tell us so we can inform the Scottish Government with feedback on the Play Park Renewal Fund!

The survey closes at midnight tomorrow (Wednesday).

In 10 minutes you can still be sipping a hot coffee after helping us improve Scotland's local play spaces: https://tr.ee/ZTzPvK

15/09/2026

We’re all set up and ready for a brilliant day at Kidz to Adultz Scotland 2026 at the SEC in Glasgow! 💚
If you’re coming along today, make sure you pop by Stand B12 and say hello to Fiona and Alex. We’ve brought along lots of Play Scotland resources, information and a wee bit of play too, so come and have a chat about children’s right to play, inclusive play, play pedagogy and all the work happening across Scotland.
The event is on today from 9.30am to 4pm in Hall 5 at the SEC, and entry is free.
Find out more and register here:
https://www.kidzexhibitions.co.uk/kidz-to-adultz-scotland-1/⁠�
We’d love to see you!

14/09/2026

There's only 2 days left to submit your feedback on the updates to your local play parks!

The survey only takes 7 minutes and it helps the Scottish Government evaluate their work on local play spaces and inform future projects!

Get yourself a cuppa and let us know your thoughts! 👇

https://forms.microsoft.com/e/FFXdjuSLfD