Teachers at the center of Learning through Play
From infancy, children learn about their world through play. For children in refugee and host communities, whose learning and social development have been disrupted by crisis, access to safe, positive, and supportive learning experiences is especially critical.
Learning through Play helps children build confidence, resilience, and the skills they need to learn and thrive.
The PlayMatters Consortium
PlayMatters is a consortium-led initiative that works with governments, educators, and communities to embed Learning through Play within education systems in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts.
The initiative brings together partners with complementary expertise in education, wellbeing, systems strengthening, and research, working collaboratively to improve learning outcomes and wellbeing for children affected by crisis and displacement.
About PlayMatters
PlayMatters’ top-line goal is to sustainably integrate LtP as an active teaching method in pre-primary and primary schools to improve the holistic and psychosocial well-being of refugee and host community children aged 3-12+ in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Since the launch of the project in January 2020, PlayMatters has approached this goal via its core mandate (that is., LtP in protracted refugee contexts), a parallel emergency mandate (for instance., LtP in acute humanitarian response), and a focus on evidence generation on LtP in emergencies.
The Initial Phase of PlayMatters
The PlayMatters project is being implemented by a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee, and includes Plan International, War Child Holland, Innovations for Poverty Action, and the Behavioural Insights Team, in partnership with the LEGO Foundation.
During this phase, PlayMatters generated evidence, tools, and system-level learning on how Learning through Play can be embedded within education systems across Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The Next Phase of PlayMatters
The next phase of PlayMatters is led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in collaboration with Plan International (PI) and War Child Alliance (WCA), in partnership with the LEGO Foundation.
In this phase, PlayMatters is working with different national partners in Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan to strengthen system integration, support scale, and ensure Learning through Play is adapted to local contexts.
Care for Education (CFE) serves as a resource partner, providing technical expertise on disability inclusion and the integration of the Six Bricks concept.
What we mean by Learning through Play
For PlayMatters, Learning through Play (LtP) is an active teaching and learning method in which children learn through guided, hands-on, meaningful, play-based interactions in safe and inclusive environments.
PlayMatters Core Package
The PlayMatters Core Package illustrates the key inputs that are necessary to ensure that children's holistic skills improve, in line with the project framework. All three countries will integrate LEGO's "Six Bricks" concept into their packages, with strategic support provided by the Care For Education.
Our Reach
