Redefining Learning & Culture: Play as a Tool for Education & Inclusion

What if children were the experts when it comes to play? What if museums and cultural institutions embraced play as a way to welcome and engage diverse audiences?

At the IPA Asia Pacific Play Conference, we’re diving deep into play’s transformative power with two incredible sessions exploring how play can reshape education, creativity, and cultural engagement.

Children as Play Experts – Co-Creating Nature Play Maps Through Alternative Education

What happens when we let children lead in designing their own play spaces? In this session, Uno (Yu Nung) Ling will explore the “Children’s Perspective: Nature Play Map” project - a collaboration with the New Taipei City Art Museum that puts kids at the centre of creative, inquiry-based learning.

Through art, storytelling, and play, children reimagine their natural surroundings, designing unique play maps that highlight their perspectives, ideas, and creativity. This session will showcase:

• Children as play experts – shifting away from adult-led learning
• Art, play & nature – how creativity fuels environmental awareness
• Alternative education models – fostering inquiry-based learning through play
• Empowering children’s voices – making play spaces truly child-centred

Reimagining Museums, Cultural Institutions & the Arts Through a Lens of Play

How can play break down barriers in the arts and culture? In this thought-provoking session, Cat Sewell from Polyglot Theatre, along with Lynette Bailey from the Melbourne Museum, will explore how museums and cultural spaces can use play to challenge conventions and engage diverse communities.

• How can play welcome new audiences into cultural spaces?
• What happens when play reshapes exhibitions and the way we experience art?
• Can museums become playful spaces for all, not just quiet places of observation?

This session is for anyone passionate about using play to rethink access, creativity, and the future of arts and culture.

Join us for an inspiring conversation on how play can redefine education and how valuing children’s perspectives can shape the future of play and learning.

 Don’t Miss These Sessions!

June 25–27, 2025 | Melbourne, Australia

Register Here