Learning through Playing in Higher Education: Promoting Play as a Skill for Social Work Students

This article discusses the potential benefits of using play activities with social work students completing their Degree. The article will explore the functions of play for both children and adults and seek to establish the potential benefits of play developmentally and therapeutically. The relevance of play as a core social work skill will be considered. Play will be identified as a potential resource for practitioners to improve their effectiveness in communicating with children and young people. Lefevre et al.’s (2008) model for teaching communication skills with children and young people will be used to evaluate the potential role of play in social work education. The article will highlight a number of specific techniques which have been used with students to encourage playfulness and enhance their communication skills with children. The benefits of play for enhancing adult learning will also be discussed. Finally the article will seek to assess the advantages and potential challenges of such methodologies for social work educators, particularly within a large student cohort