Glossary of playwork terms Adult-led agendas
Reasons for doing things on the basis of adult ideas, needs or wishes.
Adulteration
Play being controlled, taken over or spoiled by adults.
Child protection
The duty of adults to care for children in a way that neither they nor others cause harm to children and to report and record all concerns related to a child being harmed (see also safeguarding children).
Children’s rights
Publicly support and promote the importance of play.
Children’s entitlements under law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this includes play and their involvement in decisions that affect them.
Affective play space
Children
Advocate for play
A space that pays attention to and supports the variety of feelings and moods that children and teenagers bring with them or have during play. The space has particular areas, materials or props that at different times, stimulate or encourage expression, experience or experimentation with a range of emotions.
We use this term to encompass all children and teenagers up to the age of 18 regardless of impairment, their gender, race, religion or belief, language, sexuality, health, economic or social status and any other individual characteristics.
Compensatory play
Annihilation
The natural ending to play.
Play experiences for children to choose from that are designed to compensate for missing play opportunities in their lives.
Anti-discriminatory practice
Compensatory space
Taking positive action to counter discrimination – this will involve identifying and challenging discrimination and being positive in your practice about diversity without compromising the right of individuals to play.
Behavioural modes
The characteristics of play behaviour.
Biological drive
Natural inborn urge.
Child and play centred
Playwork that responds to the play needs of the children, not to external requirements.
A play space that takes account of what is available to children elsewhere in their community and aims to make up for shortfalls in possibility by offering an alternative environment.
Consultation
An active two-way process of informing and involving individuals and groups to encourage the sharing of ideas, views and opinions especially to reach an agreed decision.
Containment
Supporting play by providing a ‘virtual’ shield against interference.
Discrimination
Make unjust distinctions or fail to recognise support needs resulting in failure to acknowledge an individual’s right to participate in play and exercise freedom of choice.
Dysplay
Lack of response to a play cue that prevents the play from going forward.
Dynamic risk-benefit assessment
Active ongoing risk-benefit assessment of situations as they occur – usually taking place as a mental rather than a written process.
Ecological well-being
Good balanced relationship between the play space and all the players.
Environmental hazards
Things within the environment that may cause harm.
Equal opportunities
Recognising that play is for all children – we are all different and different children have different things to offer and different needs to be met. Equal opportunities mean supporting every child with respect and fairness.
Facilitate experimentation
Create the right environment and atmosphere to enable children to experiment.
Flow
The natural course of uninhibited play – where children are immersed in what they are doing.
Gender socialisation
The social pressure exerted on a child to behave in a way associated with being either male or female.
Hazard
Something that may cause harm to the health, safety or welfare of users of the play environment.
Inclusion
Ensuring that play provision is open and accessible to all and takes positive action in removing barriers so that all children can play.
Impact absorbent surface Safety surfacing.
Impairments
An individual physical, psychological or emotional make-up which differs from accepted norms.
Intervention styles
A range of methods the playworker can use in the play environment. These may range from non-involvement through to specific intervention to enhance the children’s play.
Intrinsically motivated
Internally driven reasons for doing something.
Loose parts
Materials that can be used flexibly for play – they can be moved around, manipulated, used as props or to change the environment.
Meta-communication
Deep and subtle communication that gives a real indication of what is being meant beyond any words that are being said, for example non-verbal play cues, intonation of voice, facial expressions and body movements.
Metalude
The action of the brain that produces the desire to play and issues a play cue (see play cue).
Monitoring and evaluation
Regularly observing and checking on specific aspects of the provision and then assessing whether they are fulfilling their intended purpose.
Narrative frame
A story line that keeps the play going.
Observe
Watch children’s play behaviors and the response of adults to ensure that the environment continues to provide effective play spaces.
Personal care
Provision of personal and intimate care to disabled children or very young children who are unable to provide care for themselves.
Play audit
An inventory of play provision, or the play opportunities available.
Quality play environment
Play cue
Facial expressions, language or body language that communicates the child or teenager’s wish to play or invite others to play.
Quality play provision offers all children and teenagers the opportunity to freely interact with or experience the following: other children and teenagers, the natural world, loose parts, the natural elements, challenge and risk-taking, playing with identity, movement, rough and tumble, the senses and feelings.
Play deprivation
Risk-benefit assessment
If children do not play they will lack experience that is developmentally essential and this may lead to them being biologically and socially disabled.
Play frame
An assessment of risk which also takes into account the benefits of the activity to the playing child.
Reflective practice
The real or imagined boundary that keeps the play intact.
Playworkers thinking deeply about what they do to identify what they do well and what they could improve to enhance their professional practice.
Play type
Resilience
Playwork curriculum
Return
Different kinds of play that can combine to make up children’s play behaviour.
The essential experiences playworkers make available to children including the elements, identity, concepts and the senses.
Ability to recover from, or cope with, difficult circumstances.
The response to a play cue (see play cue).
Rhythmical narrative
A rhythm that keeps the play going.
Playwork Principles
The professional and ethical framework for playwork.
Risk
Playwork theory
Safe boundary
The researched information that is relative to playwork and informs the way that it is practiced.
The possibility of a hazard actually causing harm.
A time and place (and the presence of playworkers) that creates a sense of security for playing.
Safeguarding
Term used to describe a whole range of ways that adults help protect children and keep them safe from harm.
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