Interactive workshops to get you in the spirit of PLAY

Dear Valued Play Australia Member...

Interactive workshops to get you in the spirit of PLAY

We keep saying this is a conference like no other, and we mean it!

Across the two jam-packed days of the first IPA Asia Pacific Play Conference, you’ll find 8 workshops to get you in a playful and thought-provoking mood.

Explore the full program

Kicking off the conference is Hitoshi Shimamura who will take us on a journey to Map Our Childhood Play and Harness our Collective Wisdom. Do you remember what your childhood play looked like? You’ll be invite to reconnect with your own play memories by drawing a personal play map - a creative exploration of the spaces, people, and moments that shaped how you played.

But we’re not giving too much away, you’ll have to join us to find out what this means for the future of play, and how we can use these memories to inform policy and play environments now!

Further into Day 1, Amanda Lloyd and Christian Eckardt are asking “What if the journey to nature was just as important as the destination?”

Join a hands-on, feet-moving workshop that flips the script on how (and where!) learning happens. Instead of staying put, you’ll step out—literally—on a guided journey from the conference floor through the built environment and out to the beautiful Yarra Foreshore.

Along the way, you’ll tune into your senses, discover unexpected play opportunities, and experience how curiosity and wellbeing grow with every step. Using tools like sound mapping, sit spots, and open-ended questions, Amanda and Christian will show how city streets, laneways, and pathways can all become powerful places for learning and connection.

This is your chance to think differently about outdoor education, play-based learning, and how we use our everyday environments. Perfect for educators, policy-makers, and anyone who’s ready to stretch their legs and their thinking.