Unlocking Your Playful Presence: Tools to Facilitate more Laughter and Playfulness in SEND and PMLD Settings

Children with the most complex needs spend much of the day with adults rather than other children. That leaves little room for silliness, rule-breaking and the kind of laughter friends share, unless the adults are willing to play.

This course helps you be that adult. You'll look at what holds you back (the voice in your head asking what the learning objective is) and how to show you're ready to play while checking the child wants to join in. Then there are tools to try. Play a bossy character who forbids squashing the Play-Doh, so the child can gleefully squash it. Follow whatever a child is curious about, or lead laughter games that need no jokes at all.

One idea that worked well in a PMLD classroom is simple. Ask families to film what makes their child laugh at home, then share the clips in class.