ESC20 ONE Conference 2025

Children have a drive towards novelty and will independently take on challenges when the environment is conducive to it. In play this can look like jumping from great heights, moving at a fast speed, getting lost, or doing most anything that is new and a bit scary. When play is child-directed, it will involve risk-taking. When play is child-directed in group settings it will involve conflict.

How do we as adults who work with children strike a balance between inviting risk-taking, both physical and emotional, and maintaining the overall safety of our environments? How do we support children and their caregivers through the bumps and bruises that accompany child-directed play? Jill will provide resources and tools to help you hold space for play that empowers.

Play is an engaging, developmentally appropriate approach to early childhood instruction. This session will show how developing play through play patterns will help guide student-led discovery and leverage our youngest learners toward standards-aligned learning. We will explore how SEL can be easily integrated with the school day using multi-modal activities and make learning through play fun!

Children have a drive towards novelty and will independently take on challenges when the environment is conducive to it. In play this can look like jumping from great heights, moving at a fast speed, getting lost, or doing most anything that is new and a bit scary. When play is child-directed, it will involve risk-taking. When play is child-directed in group settings it will involve conflict.

How do we as adults who work with children strike a balance between inviting risk-taking, both physical and emotional, and maintaining the overall safety of our environments? How do we support children and their caregivers through the bumps and bruises that accompany child-directed play? Jill will provide resources and tools to help you hold space for play that empowers.