The Year of Play is a national celebration launched by Early Childhood Australia (ECA) to raise the profile of play across the early childhood sector and promote diverse ways we can engage through play.
This page features resources on different approaches to play designed to support the early childhood education and care profession to advocate for play-based pedagogy. This information will also help raise the profile of play in the wider community.
This professional resource has been developed in consultation with experts in the field and representatives from the ECA National Board and state committees, and will inform practice and debate on a variety of play-based approaches to early childhood education.
If you have a perspective or example of play that you would like to share, consider making a submission to The Spoke—ECA’s blog or Every Child magazine.
For the latest Year of Play updates and information:
- like and share ECA social content across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter
- subscribe to ECA newsletters and news updates
- follow or use the hashtag #ECAYearOfPlay.
To learn more, watch the video below for an introduction to the Year of Play.
ECA and third-party resources on play
Every Child magazine, Research in Practice Series and Everyday Learning Series
Early Childhood Australia has been producing innovative and essential early childhood resources for over 50 years. We have a dedicated team of editors and designers who are passionate about their work and can guarantee the excellence and usefulness of our publications. All publications are quality-assured, up to date and written by experienced early childhood professionals.
- Every Child article: Leading play-based pedagogies
- Every Child article: Questions of play
- Every Child article: Tinker play with unplugged tech
- Every Child article: Playwork at Forest Out of School Hours Care
- Every Child article: Play in the home
- Everyday Learning Series title: Sensory play and learning by Karen Winderlich
- Everyday Learning Series title: Risky play and the outdoors by Helen Little
- Everyday Learning Series title: Active outdoor play by Helen Little
- Everyday Learning Series title: Facilitating and extending play-based learning by Leonie Arthur
- Research in Practice Series title: Intentional teaching of cultural competence in play-based settings: A cultural-historical view by Marilyn Fleer
Webinars and modules
The ECA Learning Hub is well regarded for producing high-quality online professional learning. It is designed to help educators gain a thorough and practical understanding of standards, frameworks and research about quality practice. It is also designed to be accessible, affordable and contemporary to ensure quality professional learning is available, no matter where and when it is needed. A library of over 90 self-paced modules, interactive webcasts and on-demand webinars across a breadth of topics ranging from pedagogy, WH&S, planning and leadership are available on the hub.
- Webinar: Engineering creativity: celebrating loose parts play for all ages by Robin Christie
- Webinar: Playing with gratitude by Rod Soper
- Webinar: Play-based learning: Using the pedagogical play-framework by Susan Edwards
- Module: The value of play by Dr Luke Touhill
- Module: Making connections with neurodiverse children through play (2-part series)
Play resources
The ECA Shop offers an extensive range of resources for early childhood educators, leaders, practitioners, carers and parents. We assess books based on our quality-assurance guidelines to ensure that all books promote best practice and disseminate high-quality information in the early childhood sector.
Play blogs
The Spoke is Early Childhood’s Australia’s blog, publishing articles by Australia’s leading policy-makers, academics, experts and leaders and early childhood practitioners. The Spoke is an extensive source of articles on early childhood research, policy and practice. Explore all blogs on play on The Spoke here.
Recent blog posts on play:
- Music education and play-based learning by Amy Rothe
- Leading play-based pedagogies by Lennie Barblett, Catharine Hydon and Sandra Cheeseman
- Playwork at Forrest Out of School Hours Care
- Intentional teaching leads to purposeful play-based learning by Anna Razak and Dr Jen Jackson
- Play in the home: Why it’s essential for early childhood development by Joanne Grimmond
- Blockplay as an enduring, powerful tool by Kym Simoncini
