Adventurous play and child anxiety: theoretical ideas, initial findings and a plan

In this talk I will outline my conceptual model regarding how children’s adventurous play experiences offer children learning experiences that could support the prevention of anxiety. I will then describe the initial research I have conducted as part of my UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to begin to explore these theoretical ideas, including sharing results from the British Children’s Play Survey and results from qualitative and methods reviews regarding barriers and facilitators of adventurous play and the measurement of play. I will end by describing my plans for implementing a play programme in case study schools and outlining my longer-term research plan on the topic of play and children’s mental health.