Schedule
Duration : Half-Day Workshop
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2026 | 9:00am – 12:00pm (Singapore Standard Time GMT+0800) | Live Online Training |
Corporate Registration Individual Registration
Course Fees & Closing Dates
| Registration Type | Closing Date | Fees (S$) /pax |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird | 1 May 2026 | 200 |
| Normal | Till Full | 260 |
Overview
Play is being given serious study by researchers all over the world. Studies show time after time that play promotes development in all parts of the brain particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for problem solving, getting along with others, self-regulation and, most importantly, emotional well-being. This presentation will look more deeply into the neuroscience of play to better understand its importance in the development of the whole child. Perhaps then we will relax and let our children and ourselves experience play not as a luxury but as an essential part of our human experience. Then we will look at how to create the conditions for true play, how to observe the benefits of play in the child’s development, and how to create play spaces in your classroom.
Course Outline
- What is play
- Definition of true play
- How are play and work are different
- Brain development
- Role of the right and left hemispheres
- Role of the Corpus Callosum
- Role of the Prefrontal Cortex
- Play and brain development
- Developing attention span
- Developing problem-solving skills
- Developing self-regulation and reading social cues
- Development of three key maturation processes – emergence, adaptation and integration
- Play and emotional well-being
- The consequences of diminished play time
- How play supports emotional expression and emotional experiences
- Play as a form of rest for the brain
- Play and academic learning
- Influence of play or lack of play on academic learning
- Role of the adult in promoting play in the classroom
- Creating the conditions for play
- Avoiding the pitfalls of interfering with play
- How to observe and document the benefits of play
- Adding Play to your classroom
- Creating space for dress up and drama
- Puppets and dolls
- Lego and construction toys
- Using music creatively throughout the day
- Stories and tales
Course Objectives
On completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define the characteristics of true play
- Describe the benefits of play on brain development and executive functions
- Explain how play promotes emotional well-being
- Create conditions within a classroom to promote true play
- Use observation to document child development through play
- Create play spaces and use the power of play within their classrooms
Who Should Attend?
Suitable for educators and early interventionists in preschool and early elementary settings.
Speaker
Eva de Gosztonyi, MA, psychologist, OPQ
Eva de Gosztonyi, MA, psychologist, OPQ has worked for over 50 years in schools across Canada. For the past 20 years she has been the provincial resource person for the English School Boards of Quebec through the Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Management, helping adults in the school setting provide effective developmental interventions for students with behavioural challenges. Her guiding principles are that we must value the natural maturational processes of our children and youth, respect their immaturity and vulnerability, and understand that safe and caring attachments with adults are essential for their optimal growth. Grounded in a robust theory, the interventions that she recommends to schools are practical and doable and go deeper than just managing symptoms. Her interventions are being applied in regular school settings, regular classrooms and also in specialized classrooms and schools with great success. Those implementing these strategies affirm that they lead to long-lasting changes that only come about when we understand the “why” behind the behaviour and respect the student’s developmental needs in our interventions. Her understanding of child development is primarily informed by the attachment-based developmental paradigm of Dr. Gordon Neufeld. Interventions are also guided by neuroscience, are trauma-informed and trauma-responsive, and are attachment-based and developmentally friendly. Eva is on Faculty at the Neufeld Institute and is an authorized presenter of the Neufeld paradigm.
