Fiona - Play Scotland

"Members are Recruiting" with a megaphone at the side and Together logo. Graphic.

Are you passionate about nurture, high quality childcare & making a real difference to children and families in Scotland?

SCMA is recruiting an Area Manager to help them deliver their childminding services across Scotland.

Read more here: buff.ly/ZVYH6Ki

Fiona, our Play Pedagogy Lead, is presenting on-demand at the IPA USA Virtual Conference About Play, available to watch now. She shares Scotland’s work embedding play pedagogy in primary schools, with insights on children’s rights, inclusion & wellbeing. Register via the QR code.

Recess Is Becoming Too Safe A former teacher explores how

"Part of learning prudence and wisdom is the freedom to make decisions, including the wrong ones".

💡 Play is the same. Monkey bars are a curious child's best friend, let's encourage children to imagine, assess their surroundings, take a small risk, and have fun! 🎉

ifstudies.org/blog/recess-...

Come along to our Loose Parts Play training on 12th February!

📦 Learn how to instil an imaginative approach to play that allows children to explore, learn, and play with simple, everyday objects! 🧹

www.playscotland.org/schools-chil...

📢 Job opportunity

The Young Audiences Network is recruiting a freelance Young Audiences Network Coordinator to coordinate the development and launch of the Young Audiences Network, funded by Creative Scotland.

🔗 Find out more & apply: starcatchers.org.uk/jobs/young-a...
⏰ Deadline: 2nd March, 5pm

Doesn’t get much better than this! This city is our sandbox for learning about time whilst exploring sustainable transport (SDG11)

Fabulous creativity!

Fabulous creativity!

The Scottish Government is consulting on updates to school premises regulations to help ensure schools are safe, accessible and support children’s learning, wellbeing and play.

The consultation is open until Tuesday 24th March and your input is imperative!

consult.gov.scot/learning-dir...

Fiona Kirkland, our Play Pedagogy Lead, showcases the work of Play Scotland and speaks to students about the importance of play, loose parts and the child’s right to play at West Lothian College Children and Young People’s Rights Conference #Article31 #moreplayplease #playeveryday

Has your school signed the active uniform pledge?
Make play times easier by ensuring an always-active uniform! 👇

Love this!

Play for all: Rights, Responsibility and Inclusive Practice
Thurs 22 Jan 6-8pm:
⚖️ The legal context of play as a children's right
🧒 Your responsibility to provide inclusive play opportunities
🎨 support play experiences that bring children together across differences
buytickets.at/playscotland...

Things Only Early Years Educators Will Understand

Day 15

“Following the child’s lead isn’t about losing control”

#EarlyYears
#EarlyYearsEducation
#PlayMatters
#EarlyYearsProfessionals

New podcast episode uploaded 🙌

Available on Apple, Podbean and Spotify, Plan to Play is a to the point podcast that offers 6 playful activities around a specific curricular area. #playistheway

Gatehouse Welcomes New Inclusive Play Park Dumfries and Galloway Council is delighted to announce the opening of the new inclusive play park in Garrie's Park in Gatehouse of Fleet – the fourth

👏 We're delighted to see the opening of another inclusive play park!
Play is a right for every child, and achieving that means more spaces must be inclusive and accessible.

It's fantastic to see Scotland giving this the importance it deserves! ✨

www.dgwgo.com/community-fo...

Only a few spaces left for our training for teachers and schools this Tuesday 13 Jan! Join Alex & Fiona to explore how to create a play policy that supports consistency, confidence & shared understanding across your school.
Book here www.playscotland.org/schools-chil... #edusky #ScotEduSky #Primary

Bus Timetables 🚌

This is one of those activities that has so many layers to it and opportunities for the kids to take it in novel directions.

If you like the sound, I now have a wee podcast where you can get 10 mins worth of ideas for the classroom weekly #playinupperprimary

Happy New Year from Play Scotland!
We're working on our first newsletter of 2026.
To make sure you get the latest play news straight into your inbox each month, sign up as a member today - it's free!
playscotland.org/about/member...

Are your children off school today because of the snow?
While school closures are stressful to manage, a fresh coating of snow can provide the most magical playground for day off fun!
Find out top snow play ideas: www.playscotland.org/resources/sn...

Lang may yer lum reek! Here’s to good people, big laughs, wee giggles and getting through the messy bits together!
Wishing you all a cracking Hogmanay and a kinder, calmer 2026, slàinte 🥂✨

A huge loss for us all in the Play sector. She was such an inspiration to so many and fought her illness with such bravery. 😢

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year. A huge thank you to playworkers and everyone across the play sector for the care, commitment & energy that goes into keeping children safe, healthy & loving life, at Christmas & all year round. #ScotEduSky #EduSky

Play Talk Radio - Play Scotland Fiona Kirkland

Delighted to be asked to chat about play with the brilliant Dr Aaron Bradbury on his podcast. Had a really honest, down to earth conversation about why play matters in children’s lives #EduSky #ScotEduSky #playmatters #earlychildhood #EYSky#EarlyYearsSky#earlyyears
open.spotify.com/episode/6mz0...

“Play is as natural to children as breathing. It is a universal expression of children, and it can transcend differences in ethnicity, language, or other aspects of culture.”
Charles Schaefer and Athena Drewes:

Cherie has done so much to strengthen the link between people, place and play across Scotland, and she will be really missed at Play Scotland. A brilliant appointment for PAS!

Much deserved! Cherie has done so much to get it right for play in Scotland, from Play Sufficiency Assessments to championing inclusion and accessibility in the spaces children use every day. Huge congratulations to her and best wishes to PAS as this next chapter gets underway!

Good luck!

How to Harness the Multiplier Effect as a Principal Talent development expert Liz Wiseman tells us how principals can bring out the best in everyone on their staff—and avoid being a diminisher, who does the opposite.

The best school leaders and teachers have several things in common, says author Liz Wiseman. “They create an environment where people want to learn and contribute. They ask good questions and they spotlight people’s good work.”

Here’s how. 🏫

#SchoolLeaders #Principals #EduSky