Welcome to The September PLAYlist 🎈🎉
Click Here For Your Complete Guide To The September PLAYlist
Welcome to September – and Happy 1st Birthday to The PLAYlist!
I can’t quite believe it, but The PLAYlist is officially one year old this month. What started as a little idea to share research, practice, and inspiration has now grown into a brilliant community of practitioners who are rethinking and reshaping early years practice together. Thank you so much for being part of it.
For All Subscribers (FREE)
Peter Gray – This month, we’re joined by world-renowned psychologist Peter Gray. Peter has spent decades researching play and self-directed learning, and his insights feel more relevant now than ever.
How Children Make Friends Article (by me!) – I’m exploring how children develop friendships and relationships, and what that means for the environments and opportunities we create.
For Paid Subscribers
If you’re a full subscriber, you’ll also get access to:
10 Practical Activities – A set of activities that support the development of friendship and relationships in playful, developmentally appropriate ways.
Peter Gray Interview – This is a brilliant chance to hear directly from Peter about his work, his views on play, and what we can learn from children themselves.
Common Play Behaviours: Small World – This month’s CPB focus is on small world play, a powerful strand of provision that supports language, narrative, empathy, and imagination.
Staffroom Session Training – This month’s online training is all about Schemas.
Birthday Giveaways 🎉
🎉 To celebrate The PLAYlist turning one, ‘Win ME’ is back! You can win a virtual staff training session of your choice, live with me - or just a good natter over a cup of tea and a slice of cake! (Paid Subscribers only)
🎉 Millhouse - have provided a brilliant wooden Water Channelling Set (worth over £600) for us to give away. (Free and paid subscribers)
🎉 We’ve also teamed up with Routledge to give away three brilliant book bundles. Every subscriber (free and paid) will have a chance to enter.
🎉 We’ll also be sharing a Routledge discount code so you can get your hands on ALL of their books at a 30% off! (Free and paid subscribers)
🎉 We’ve got even more exciting birthday giveaways coming up throughout September from TTS and YPO, so keep an eye out on our socials!
Online Training
We have created some new online training modules for your September INSET days and staff meetings (but useful all year round!).
• Raising Standards in Writing - 5 x 30 minute sessions (£66.67 +VAT)
Environments that Raise Standards and Wellbeing - 3 x 30 minute sessions (£50+VAT)
New to Early Years - 3 x 30 minute sessions (£50+VAT)
Senior Leaders Guide to Excellent Early Years Practice - 6 x 15 minute AUDIO sessions (£37.50 +VAT)
As with all our online courses, you can watch them as many times as you want and they are yours to keep for the life of the course.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
This past year, The PLAYlist has grown into something I’m really proud of. It is a space for reflection, challenge, and celebration of PLAY.
From exploring mess and Common Play Behaviours, to digging into risk, friendship, and creativity, we’ve built up a library of resources that will keep growing month by month.
Here’s to year two… and to even more play, practice, and professional curiosity.
Thank you again for being part of The PLAYlist.
Alistair
Thank you for creating this space and for introducing us to such inspiring voices and advocates for early years.
This community has really boosted my confidence to stand up for the children I work with. Reading and listening here has reassured me that my instincts aren’t just “nice ideas” but are actually research backed. Who knew – I wasn’t just making it up as I went along!
It can be such a battle at times to convince those outside the sector to trust us. To trust that how young children learn best doesn’t always look like neat rows of books and worksheets. That doing things earlier or in a more formal way doesn’t magically lead to better results – in fact quite the opposite.
Our youngest children need solid foundations first: hands-on learning, time to explore, space to wrestle with big feelings and plenty of fresh air. Because before they can sit and write a sentence they need to know how to hold a conversation, share a spade and occasionally cope with the trauma of someone else having the “good” stick.