Welcome to ‘A Playful Year’
I’m very pleased to have you in this space. Perhaps you’ve found me because you’re an Instagram follower or I've cropped up in Substack suggestions.
A Playful Year is about simplifying what it means to parent in the early and middle years. Everything is based on my own experiences as a qualified teacher, mother and researcher.Â
You see, despite being a qualified teacher, I didn’t find motherhood all that easy until I started my own research. After a lot of reflection, observation and practice, I created a three-pillared approach to my own parenting that has helped me to simplify how I do things at home.
Every article you’ll find in ‘A Playful Year’ has been based upon my own experiences of what works - and I hope that it will work for you too!
A Playful Year Overview
A Playful Year helps parents to navigate the early and middle years of childhood. The main phases of the course are:
In addition to this, you can find guidance on school, seasonal rhythms and stages of childhood.
What has changed?
If you’ve been a long-term subscriber, you’ll notice a few changes to the paid content. I have now organised information by phase so that you can navigate A Playful Year in a suggested order.
A Playful Year also contains content from courses originally hosted on my website thisplayhome.com , including ‘Playful Days at Home’ and ‘Play Space 101’, alongside the paid Substack series that were initially released every month.
When I first started this Substack page, I wasn’t too sure what direction I was going in. Consequently, the original series have been reorganised to provide a better flow of information.
I find that my own focus has changed now that my children are older. I still find the topic of play important, but as my own children navigate the middle and teen years of childhood, I have found myself wanting to cover those topics. Upcoming changes to the course will include more ‘school years’ series, in addition to articles on the middle and teen years of childhood.
Whilst paid series haven’t been deleted, in the coming months, articles will be refreshed and downloadable resources will be updated.
What’s included in a paid membership?
Access to the ‘A Playful Year’ course - you can find the entire course index below. The course is available year-round and can be worked through at your own pace.
Access to upcoming series and events - coming Autumn 2024
Access to archived ‘How I Drink my Coffee Hot’ posts (all free posts are archived after two weeks)
Monthly calls and chats are being planned, but will depend on engagement - please let me know if this appeals to you!
Course Index
Phase One - Rhythms
A Playful Year begins with the topic of Family Rhythms. It’s important to get the basic blueprint of family life outlined first. Once a family rhythm has been established that suits your family, it’s time to move on to Family Connections.
Phase One of A Playful Year is broken down into two main sections: an introduction to family rhythms (6 part series) and How to create Deeper Family Connections (5 part series)
Phase 2 - Home
Once a family rhythm has been established, focus turns to the home environment. Presently, this phase focuses on play spaces however look out for a new series, ‘Environment as the Third Teacher’ in the next few months.
Phase 3 - Play
Play is THE most important thing your children can do with their time. And once family rhythms and the home environment has been mastered, it’s time to turn full attention to play.
This phase starts with understanding the importance of play, before moving onto the topics of Outdoor Play and Toys.
Phase 4 - School
Starting school is a pivotal part of a child’s life. As a former teacher, private tutor and mother to three, I have a lot of information to share on the ‘starting school’ process.
Look out for further topics in the school section from Autumn 2024. I have many series planned, including Home-schooling, Choosing a School that’s Right for You, Raising a Reader and Supporting your Child’s Learning at Home.
Seasonal Content
In addition to the main four phases of A Playful Home, the seasonal content section will help you plan and adjust your family rhythms throughout the year.
Stages of Childhood
Stages are broken down into early years and middle years, with a teen section coming soon.
Early years content includes a schemas of play series and a sensory play series to help deepen your understanding of play.
Upcoming Series and Events
New series will be released in the Autumn on 2024. Planned topics include: How to Support your Child’s Learning from Home, An Introduction to Home-schooling and How to Raise a Reader.
Monthly chat threads and topic-based calls are planned, but will depend on user engagement!*
*If the idea of monthly calls and chat threads appeals, please send me a message. I would personally like to start doing this, but it will depend on numbers.