Since April 2021, there have been 5000 ParkPlays.

They have happened in town parks, pocket parks, schools playgrounds, forests, a stadium, National Trust properties, housing estates, basketball courts and even next to a lighthouse. Almost 10,000 people—babies, great-grandparents, and everyone in between—have come together to #MeetMovePlay. 

Here’s what we’ve learned about creating playful moments across generations.

1. Getting adults to play isn’t automatic

We thought adults would jump right into the fun, but many prefer to watch from the sidelines. We learnt that this is in large part down to habit, as parents are used to letting kids play while they stay out of the action. We have found some ways to successfully tackle that though: 

• Break down this accepted norm by inviting adults in to play at the very start week after week after week, 
• Don’t expect full participation from week one, even playing for five minutes is a good start
• Give adults smaller ways to get involved initially and then ram in up slowly
• Set an example by getting involved yourself, or find the one or two adults that might be willing to play and encouraging them first
• Initially set up a game for the adults to play next to where children are playing.

Takeaway: Break the habit by giving adults small, easy ways to play. Even a little bit counts!

2. Trust makes the fun happen

For kids and adults to play together, trust is key. Adults need to trust the game is safe and they won’t be made a fool of, that the kids will be looked after, and that no one will go overboard in a full-paced game. It’s all about building that comfort before the fun begins.

Takeaway: Build trust through openness and shared understanding of how the game will be played, make sure everyone feels safe and ready to play!

3. Keeping everyone safe is a constant job

There is a reality to intergenerational play, and that reality is that big people play with little people in often fast-paced and small spaces. Inevitable bumps happen, like in any physical activity setting. But over 5000 ParkPlays we have learnt that making things safe is done by ensuring consistent micro actions across multiple operational aspects are happening, and collectively they contribute to keeping everyone safe.

For example:

• It’s in how we shape the training for the leaders.
• It’s how we community what ParkPlay is all about in our welcome emails.
• It’s about what leaders say in their opening welcome to the group.
• It’s in the images and stories we share on social media.
• It’s in the risk assessments we produce.
• It’s in the way we work to support leaders to report accidents and attend to them collectively and effectively.
• It’s in the judgments leaders take when deciding when to play all together and when to set up different games for different age groups.

Takeaway: Safety is in the details—from how we start the game to how we handle the unexpected.

4. The right leaders make all the difference

Older players sometimes feel shy about joining in—they don’t want to look silly. But when there’s an older leader, they feel more at ease and they can relate to them easier. Younger leaders, on the other hand, often bring extra energy that gets the kids excited. A good mix of leaders makes sure everyone feels welcome.

Takeaway: A mix of leaders helps everyone—from grandparents to toddlers—feel like they belong.

5. Play is all about personal style

Even in the same game, there are lots of different ways to play. What we learnt over 5000 ParkPlays is that this is a strength, not a weakness. We have realised that intergenerational play relies on not getting too hung up on every rule, or everyone knowing exactly what is going on. 

But rather getting the game going and then designing ways to get involved with individual players. For example: If a young child can’t understand all the rules, don’t worry, don’t hold up the play until they understand. Chat with them and create a secret mission with them that they can be getting on with in the game that they’ll find fun. Or if an older player can’t run for long periods, why not see how they want to get involved and design a special role just for them! 

The takeaway: Give people the choice of roles and ask them how they might like to play the game in their own way.

Find your local ParkPlay

Please visit our ParkPlay Parks page to find your local ParkPlay and come and join us for your ParkPlay session. We play every Saturday morning.