Thread by @Mental_Elf, Our first speaker is Wendy Russell @wkrussell from the @uniofglosWendy is a [...]

Our first speaker is Wendy Russell @wkrussell from the @uniofglos

Wendy is a researcher & educator who has worked in the play and playwork for >40 years.

Her talk today is entitled: “Playing about with emotions" #EmergingMinds
Watch her talk live:

-Playing (esp with friends) is crucial for children’s health & well-being
-The feelings children have when they play help them cope w stress & uncertainty
-Adults should pay attention to conditions that support children’s play: time, space & permission
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

Children’s experiences of lockdown:
- huge variety
- 1.8 million UK families live in overcrowded accommodation
- 1 in 8 British households have no garden
- Two thirds of primary school children are feeling lonely
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

Playing with friends helps:
- provide a buffer to anxiety & stress (Booth-Laforce et al., 2005)
- develop emotion regulation & empathy (Fantuzzo et al., 2004)
- especially for lonely children (Qualter & Munn, 2005)
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

“Play does not only take place in designated times and spaces. It can emerge whenever the conditions are right, in the cracks left behind after adult orderings of time and space”
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

“The motivation for playing is to make life better” #AMomentWhereLifeIsBetter

@wkrussell speaking at the #EmergingMinds play webinar

Watch Wendy Russell live NOW

Play as Emotional Survival by Brian Sutton-Smith (2017)
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

“The opposite of play is not work but depression” Brian Sutton-Smith (2003)
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

"The social joy of play is the basis of happiness and good mental health” Jaak Panksepp (2005)
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

Barnstorming talk from Wendy Russell at our @EmergingMindsUK webinar on #play

Watch her NOW:

Our next speaker is Prof Helen Russell @DrHelenDodd UKRI Future Leaders Fellow researching adventurous play and anxiety @UniRdg_Psych #EmergingMinds
Watch her talk live:

- Play can help children to cope during lockdown & whilst transitioning out of lockdown
- Research shows that play can reduce children's stress
- Play outdoors & play in nature have added benefits for children's emotional wellbeing
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

At least half a million children in the UK have an anxiety disorder right now. And many more are struggling with anxiety at subclinical levels.
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

We need to understand how the #COVID19 pandemic is affecting young people. Please sign up to the Co-Space and Co-Spyce studies (Supporting Parents, Adolescents & Children during Epidemics) that will help us develop solutions #EmergingMinds http://www.cospaceoxford.com/survey

Great to see early findings from the Co-Space study, presented by @DrHelenDodd at the #EmergingMinds play webinar today.

You can find out more here: http://www.cospaceoxford.com/survey

Coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown will be anxiety inducing in some children.
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

The longer talk on free-play by @DrHelenDodd is available here #EmergingMinds

The benefits of free-play:
-enjoyable
-increases sense of control
-helps children make sense of things
-helps children express themselves
-supports relationships
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

Play reduces stress and negative emotions
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

“The more important children feel it is to be connected to nature, the better their mental health is"
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

Being in nature has a range of benefits for children’s mental health
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds

Adventurous play is important
“I did it once and I did OK and I felt happy and scared at the same time. I couldn’t stop myself”
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds
#AdventurousPlay #RiskyPlay #YouthMentalHealth

How can we best support children now and after lockdown?
-give them time & space to play freely
-let them play outdoors
-if you have access to green space: use it
-give them space to explore & take age-appropriate risks
@DrHelenDodd #EmergingMinds
#YouthMentalHealth #COVID19

And now finally @wkrussell is going to tell us about the CAPS initiative (Children's Access to Play in Schools) - working to support schools to become more play-friendly #EmergingMinds http://playfriendlyschools.eu/

Adults can't provide play for children, says @wkrussell #EmergingMinds Instead, adults must ensure that children have the time, space and permission for free play

A tale of two schools under social isolation
(Spot the difference!)
@wkrussell #EmergingMinds

Do you have any questions for our #play experts?
- @wkrussell A researcher & educator from @uniofglos with 40+ years experience of play & playwork
- @DrHelenDodd UKRI Future Leaders Fellow researching adventurous play & anxiety @UniRdg_Psych

Tweet them to:

#EmergingMinds

Preventing #COVID19 transmission and catching up on school work are very important.

BUT let's put #playfirst for our children when schools reopen for all

Great message from @wkrussell #EmergingMinds

15 mins left in our "Let us play!" webinar

Do you have any questions for our experts @wkrussell & @DrHelenDodd about the importance of play for children's mental health?

Tweet them to #EmergingMinds and watch the answers

Schools need to do a risk benefit analysis to balance:
- risks of catching COVID-19
- benefits of play

@wkrussell reminding us all that #playfirst is going to be vital over the next few weeks & months #EmergingMinds

"Some play is better than no play at all" @DrHelenDodd

We would REALLY appreciate your help and support in spreading the word about some research studies we are doing right now, to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of children and young people

#EmergingMinds

Please post the following message to your social media to spread the word about the Co-Space and Co-Spyce studies

Thanks+ #EmergingMinds

We need to understand how the #COVID19 pandemic is affecting young people. Please sign up to the Co-Space and Co-Spyce studies (Supporting Parents, Adolescents & Children during Epidemics) that will help us develop solutions #EmergingMinds http://www.cospaceoxford.com/survey

Now at the #EmergingMinds webinar on #play, @DrHelenDodd and @wkrussell are talking about the @playfirstuk campaign, which is trying to make sure that the social and emotional wellbeing of children are a priority after #COVID19 lockdown: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/documents/play-first--supporting-childrens-social-and-emotional-wellbeing-during-and-after-lockdown.pdf

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