The Strategic Framing Initiative together with the Framing for Change Community of Practice developed a suite of framing ‘Play’ resources originally for Children’s Week 2023 and beyond.
We are excited to take part in the first ever International Day of Play on Tuesday 11th June 2024.
We have sourced and created the following communication tools to support your Framing Play needs:
- Two communication guides to support your communications around Play and the Early Years - Developed by Telethon Kids Institute and Minderoo Foundation in partnership with FrameWorks Institute.
- A Social Media Kit for Children's Week 2023 - including social media tiles to share and use.
- Links to examples of resources and programs developed using these Framing recommendations.
- Links to the Australian research projects on Framing for the Early years, Parenting and Children's Mental Health.
Tips for Framing Play
This guide is here to help you apply powerful insights to your communications, so they are even more effective. It is based on rigorous research about ways to communicate about early childhood development and learning using an approach called Framing. Tips for Framing Play can be found on pages 15 and 16.
Top tips for Framing Play include:
- Show how play supports early development: It helps build brains and boost skills.
- Explain that some children don’t have access to the same opportunities to play: This shows that some are missing out, due to factors such as where they live.
- Show how concrete solutions can solve the problem: Describe services, policies and initiatives that give children the opportunities they need to develop and learn through play.
- Use everyday language: Talk about play using natural words, rather than technical terms. For example, ‘playing a game with rules, such as dodgeball’ instead of ‘structured play’.
- Show that adults can be active participants in play: This helps show that interaction and engagement help children develop and learn. Without this, people tend to think of play as something that children should always do alone.
This 10-page brief works alongside Moving Early Childhood Up the Agenda, which lays out a Core Story of Early Childhood Development in Australia. Making early childhood a priority policy issue means bringing all aspects of early childhood into the Core Story. This brief explains how to talk about Play as a part of the overall story.
The Importance of Playing Together
This helpful article has been created for parents, care givers and educators. The aim here is to elevate the role of adults as active participants in Play. Without this, adults can tend to think about Play as something children always do alone. This was developed using the “How to tell the Core Story Framing Guide” and created for Children’s Week, 21-29 October 2023.
Social media kit
This suite of Children's Week content was created by the Framing Initiative informed by framing research. Please feel free to add your logo and share across your channels and networks. If you'd like to know more, email: TQKP@aracy.org.au
Instructions for use:
1. Save the image to your computer
2. Add your logo to the whitespace in the bottom right
3. Share on your digital channels with the accompanying copy and link
These resources were designed to share across social media leading up to, and during, Children's Week 2023, to support the development of content using Australian-based framing research.
Social media content 1
These guides help to amplify your communications, so they are even more effective. Based on rigorous research framing early childhood development and learning using an approach called framing. Find tips for framing Play found on page 15 and 16 of How to Tell the Core Story of Early Childhood: A short Guide. Find other resources and full social media kit for you to use.
Visit: www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/sector/supporting-our-sector/framing-play
Social media content 2
This helpful article has been created for parents, carer givers and educators. The aim here is to elevate the role of adults as active participants in Play. Without this, adults can tend to think about Play as something children always do alone. This was developed using the How to tell the Core Story Framing Guide. Enjoy!
Visit: www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/sites/default/
files/2023-09/The%20Importance%20of
%20Playing%20Together_3.pdf
Social media content 3
When children are encouraged to talk, read, sing and play, these interactions help build a strong foundation that sets them up for success and a lifelong love of learning. First 5 Forever makes it easy to give your child the best possible start for now and into the future.
Check out the State Library's program: Talk, sing, read, play - everyday: https://youtu.be/agD0yWuPtlA
Social media content 4
In this animation, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University shows how Play can help young children develop resilience and navigate significant adversity. To learn more, watch this animation or listen to the “Building Resilience Through Play” episode of the podcast, the Brain Architects.
Social media content 5
Parent-child play: a conversation guide. This resource from Emerging Minds can be used by parents or practitioners and provides an opportunity to talk with children about the benefits of Play in a family.
Visit: https://d2p3kdr0nr4o3z.cloudfront.net/
content/uploads/2019/02/27111754/Emerging
-Minds-Play-Conversation-guide-worksheet.pdf
Social media content 6
While computer games can provide great entertainment, they also provide opportunities for parents and carers to connect with teens through 'Play'.
Social media content 7
Community playgroups are informal gatherings of families, often coordinated by volunteers. They meet in urban, regional, and remote communities across Australia. Community playgroups are a great place to meet other families, play with other children, and connect with your local community. All families are welcome at community playgroups. Read here about how a play group supported their community. Let's support efforts that provide all children with access to opportunities like play groups, no matter where they live.
Visit: https://playmatters.org.au/blog/more-than-a-playgroup
Social media content 8
Play Participation and Poverty - How our policies can create fairer, healthier futures for children and young people
Visit: https://www.napcan.org.au/event/napcan-webinar-play-participation-and-poverty/
QR Code
Please use this QR code on your communications to provide your consumers with quick access to this webpage.
'Play' framing recommendations and guides
See lower on this page for a list of Australian Framing Research developed with the FrameWorks Institute.
How to Tell the Core Story of Early Childhood – A Short Guide
Adding Play to The Core Story of Early Development
Telethon Kids institute – research report, toolkits and e-learning materials
Resources and Programs on Play - informed by Framing Research
From Department of Education Queensland:
The Story of How children Grow Well - animation
The Story of How children Grow Well - webpage
From State Library Queensland:
Play Resources in other languages
From Raising Children Network:
From Raising Children Network Parenting in Pictures
Play for teenagers – free time and entertainment
From the Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University:
The Brain Architects Podcast: Building Resilience Through Play
From Telethon Kids:
From Emerging Minds:
Parent–child play and improving child mental health
Reframing Children’s Mental Health
WEBINAR: Building parents’ understanding of play to nurture infant and toddler mental health
From NAPCAN:
Webinar Equity and Play
From Play Matters:
The Role of Creative Play in Childhood Development
Framing Research Projects and Communications Recommendations from Australia
Developed by and in partnership with FrameWorks Institute
Telethon Kids - Core Story for Early Childhood Development and Learning
By thinking carefully about how we frame our communications, we can help drive change and improve outcomes for children. That's why we have been working with the FrameWorks Institute to deliver the Core Story Toolkit. The Quick Start Guide and newly released eLearning Course form the complete Core Story Toolkit. Together, these resources give you evidence-based framing strategies to communicate in persuasive ways that make early childhood a priority.
Telethon Kids institute – research report, toolkits and e-learning materials
Parenting Research Centre – Reframing Parenting
Changing the conversation about parenting - The Reframing Parenting project is an important national effort to help children. It’s doing this by helping people to talk and think in more productive ways about parenting. And it’s based on research involving more than 7500 Australians.
Emerging Minds - Reframing Children’s Mental Health
The words we use make a difference. Research shows that child mental health experts and practitioners working with children, parents and families have different understandings about children’s mental health. How we communicate our messages is key to bridging this gap. This toolkit, developed by the FrameWorks Institute and commissioned by the Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health (NWC), has been developed for this purpose.
Reframing children’s Mental Health
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute - Strategic Framing in Early Childhood Development
Every day in your work with, or for, children and families, you have a big opportunity to talk about child development in a way that supports lifelong health and wellbeing, and the future of our country.
To find out more or join the Framing for Change Community of Practice:
Email: TQKP@aracy.org.au or visit: www.TQKP.org.au