Final thoughts
Cultivating the conditions for play in your venue takes time, consistency, support and commitment. In this final section, contributors share their key learning to encourage you to keep experimenting and learning with how you plan and provide for play.
- Be open to what happens, unexpected things may emerge – this is good!
- Involve staff as much as possible in planning, especially visitor assistants and managers – this helps alleviate concerns and builds trust and support.
- Re-purpose existing equipment such as handling gloves and costumes – affordable and sustainable fabrics can be washed easily.
- Make the most of your staff – create invitations or reasons for children to interact with staff.
- Re-use cardboard packaging and materials that other teams might throw out.
- Ask local businesses to donate loose parts.
- Provide clear guidance for visitors (given verbally or using playful signage) – it allows families to relax knowing what’s permitted where (or not). This creates more self-assured staff, able to navigate the needs of playing families, along with the needs of other visitors, collections and the building.
- Suggest simple games such as hide and seek and possible places to play it.
- Be mindful of access needs in all of your planning.
- Nonsense and fact can and do work together. Jokes, prompts and stories using stuff in the collections are really memorable and enjoyable. Use collections, objects and rooms to inspire you – Look for wows, disgust, humour, popularity, accessibility, novelty, and let your imagination go.
- Be mindful of different ages and use appropriate activity and language that respects age and interests. Teenagers and adults play too.
- Be confident with risk assessments for play – approach this in the same way as you would a learning activity or general visitor risk assessment. Focus on the benefits of play alongside controls for possible risks.
Further resources and links
- Playful Museums Case Studies – Kids in Museums
A project run in 2020 by Kids in Museums in partnership with Penny Wilson, Assemble Play and Charlotte Derry, Playful Places. - Welcoming Families to your Venue – Kids in Museums and Museum Tales
- Case Study for Stryd Pawb at Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham – Ludicology
- Rules for a Playful Museum
A guide for museums written by visitor staff at Manchester Museum. - The Playful Places Network web page – The Happy Museum
- Playbook – BALTIC
A resource about play, art and creative play and collections.
For full references and a bibliography, please refer to the Play Wales information sheet.
Links for this Resource
Tags: Guide, Play, Wales, Welsh Language
Categories: External resources, Play
