Last month we shared the dates of the Playful Schools Conference – we now have a few more details to share. This high quality professional learning experience will be held on March 27-29, 2023. Each day, there will be an option to attend one of two different time slots:

9:00-11:00 CET (good for Africa, Europe and Asia), or

16:00-18:00 CET (good for Africa, Europe, South America, and North America)

The conference is free and open to all and is particularly relevant for educators working with children ages 3 through 16. Each day will feature whole group sessions as well as smaller interactive workshops. The conference will be emceed in English and simultaneously translated into Mandarin (for the 9:00 slot) and Spanish (for the 16:00 slot). Most workshops will be conducted in English, though Spanish and Mandarin sessions will also be available.

Titled Play to change the world: Quality education for all, the conference aligns with the United Nations Sustainability Goal (SDG) 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. The conference aims to inspire, connect, and embolden practitioners to build a future in which playful learning empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners.

Day One: More than one way to play features workshops from different cultural contexts, age groups, and disciplines that illustrate practices to support playful learning for children and adults. Because it is often seen as a barrier to playful learning, the topic of assessment is addressed in a roundtable conversation.

On Day Two: Play with a purpose we take a step back from classrooms and schools to highlight the value of play as a strategy for learning. You will hear from artists and designers who use play in their work; you’ll encounter research on how play supports learning; and you’ll participate in workshops where you get to play and reflect on how this play supports learning.

During Day Three: Play to change the world, we return to classrooms and schools with content focused on target 7 of SDG 4. We explore how playful learning can promote global citizenship, an appreciation of cultural diversity, and sustainable development and lifestyles.

At the end of each day there will be an optional 30-minute playgroup to help you reflect on the conference content. If you are coming to the conference on your own, you will have an opportunity to join a playgroup with educators from around the world. If you are coming as part of a group of educators who work together, you can use this time to talk about implications of the conference for your context. For all playgroups, we will provide suggestions on how you can organize your time. In the coming months we will share more about these playgroups.

Use the QR code or link below to receive email announcements about the conference: