There are many challenges to being self-employed. Uncertain income. Erratic hours. No water cooler moments. A potentially bonkers boss. On the other hand, there are also many beautiful things that money simply cannot buy. Freedom. Choosing your hours. Going to the twenty-seventh maths café of the year at your kids’ school. Potentially bonkers boss. Inclusive Play is one of the beautiful things about my business.
What is it?
Ahem… Inclusive Play brings elements of various interventions together to make a small group-friendly activity session which focusses on modelling behaviour, developing social and communication skills and encouraging the emotional regulation. Phew. It’s also messy, bags of fun, and super creative. We paint, we chuck Incey Wincey down the pipe, make teeny tiny pictures with stickers and sing our hearts out. It’s designed for all children, regardless of developmental stage.
What has Inclusive Play got to do with wellbeing?
Inclusive Play is grounded in the belief that effective social communication and emotional self-regulation are key to a child’s wellbeing and learning capacity. In non-flannel terms, wellbeing is at the heart of Inclusive Play. The sessions are designed to encourage and explore social and communication skills for all pre-schoolers and young people, whether neuro-diverse or neuro-typical. We have a lot of shared fun and laughs for the warm and fuzzies, but we also learn about how to take turns and respect each other, and you’re never too young to learn that.
Why and Where?!
I used to be a teacher (more of that in a future post) and designing activities that engaged children with complex needs was the favourite part of my job. I wasn’t quite ready to leave that behind as I started my new career and Inclusive Play was born. Leanne Fridd, was the midwife as the sessions take place at Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, a beautiful children’s bookshop and event space. Leanne and Dan’s main driving force for their bookshop is that “everyone’s welcome”. And truly they are.
Inclusive Play takes place on Fridays in term-time at 10:30am at Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, Timberhill, Norwich.
