Playology

23/04/2026

22/04/2026

I walked into the University of York today with a question:

What if play isn’t a break from learning… but the very foundation of it?

Speaking to MSc and UG Psychology in Education students at the Research Centre for Social Sciences, I spoke about all things play from a Playology perspective.

Play asks us, as adults, to loosen control.
To step back when every instinct says “step in.”
To trust a process that doesn’t always produce neat, measurable outcomes by the end of the lesson.

I’ve seen children become more curious, not less disciplined.
More engaged, not distracted.
More themselves, not less “school-ready.”

And today reminded me; the next generation of researchers, psychologists, educators and policymakers are ready to ask better questions.

Not “How do we fit children into the system?”
But “How do we build systems that honour how children actually learn?”

Play isn’t soft.
It isn’t a luxury.
And it certainly isn’t a lack of rigour.

It’s where resilience is rehearsed.
Where creativity is tested.
Where failure feels safe enough to try again.

And maybe the real work… is helping more adults feel safe enough to believe that too.

Thank you to for an enlightening morning.