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Play at Home: Connected Through Play
Strengthening children's development through play, relationships and everyday moments.
Play is one of the most powerful ways children learn.
Through play, children develop communication, emotional regulation, creativity, confidence and secure relationships. Yet many adults underestimate just how important everyday play experiences are.
Play at Home: Connected Through Play is a 12-week implementation program that supports educators and families to intentionally use play as a tool for connection, learning and development.
By combining educator professional learning, on-the-floor coaching, family engagement and practical play resources, this program creates lasting change that extends well beyond the classroom.
Service Snapshot
Suitable for
Early childhood education and care services
Delivered by
Connect.Ed practitioners
Program Length
Approximately 12 weeks
Professional Learning
2 educator workshops
Coaching
2 in-service coaching & mentoring sessions
Family Engagement
Play at Home Family Night
Resources
Child Play Kits and Centre Kit available
Funding
Preschool Boost (eligible services)
Why Play Matters
Play isn't just something children enjoy.
It's how they make sense of the world.
Through play, children learn to:
regulate emotions
communicate ideas
solve problems
build relationships
develop resilience
explore creativity
strengthen language
practise social skills
When educators and families understand how to intentionally support play, these everyday interactions become rich opportunities for learning and connection.
Program Overview
Play at Home: Connected Through Play has been designed as a whole-service capacity-building program.
Rather than focusing solely on children or families, the program strengthens the knowledge and confidence of everyone involved in a child's life.
Across approximately 12 weeks, educators participate in professional learning and coaching while families are invited to engage in a practical evening workshop and continue learning at home using thoughtfully designed play resources.
This collaborative approach helps create consistent experiences between the early childhood service and home, supporting children's emotional regulation, communication and wellbeing across both environments.
Educator Professional Learning
Two interactive professional learning sessions build educators' understanding of:
- the science of play and early brain development
- attachment and co-regulation
- the important role adults play in children's learning through play
- practical strategies that support emotional regulation through everyday play experiences
Coaching & Mentoring
Two in-service coaching sessions provide educators with opportunities to apply their learning within their own environment.
Rather than simply attending workshops, educators receive practical modelling, mentoring and capacity building while working directly with children in their everyday practice.
Play at Home Family Night
Families are invited to participate in a practical workshop exploring:
why play matters
how play supports children's development
simple ways to create meaningful play experiences at home
strategies that strengthen connection, communication and emotional regulation
Parents leave with practical ideas they can immediately begin using in everyday family life.
Play at Home Kits
To extend learning beyond the sessions, participating families receive a carefully curated Play at Home Child Kit.
Developed by Connect.Ed's multidisciplinary allied health team, each kit includes practical, open-ended resources that encourage ongoing play experiences at home.
Resources may include:
open-ended play scarves
feelings cards
emotional literacy resources
creative materials such as chalk
play prompt cards
a family guidebook containing practical play ideas and developmental information for children aged 3–4 years
Open-ended resources have been intentionally selected because they can be used in countless ways as children grow, making them both developmentally appropriate and sustainable for families.
Services may also purchase a Play at Home Centre Kit, containing open-ended play materials and educator resources to support ongoing implementation across the learning environment.
Investment
Play at Home: Connected Through Play is delivered as a comprehensive implementation program over approximately 12 weeks, allowing educators and families time to learn, practise and embed new strategies between sessions.
Program Includes
Educator Professional Learning
Session 1 (2 hours): Understanding Play, Attachment and Co-Regulation — $699.98 + travel
Session 2 (2 hours): Applying Play Strategies in Early Childhood Environments — $699.98 + travel
Educator Coaching & Mentoring
Two 2-hour coaching and mentoring sessions — $499.98 per session + travel
Family Engagement
Play at Home Family Night (1 hour) — $349.99 + travel
Optional Resources
Play at Home Child Kit
$129 per participating child
Includes carefully selected play materials, play cards and a family guidebook designed to encourage meaningful play experiences at home.
Interested in bringing Play at Home to your service?
Complete the enquiry form below and we'll be in touch to discuss how this whole-service implementation program can strengthen educator practice while empowering families to support children's development through everyday play.
Because the most powerful learning happens through relationships.
When educators and families share a common understanding of the importance of play, children benefit from consistent, meaningful experiences wherever they are.