Play As Presence
Play as Presence The greatest gift we can give a child is presence. Not just being in the same room—but... Read more
We are playing with play, and invite you to join us.
Playful Mindset is a national, charitable organization rooted in playful, upstream mental health interventions. We strive to be evidence-based, collaborative, and creative in our approach.
We currently gather outdoors at the Ottawa Forest and Nature School for play-based support groups and are growing new spaces for this work: soon among the trees of a forested property just across the Ontario border in Cantley, Quebec, in partnership with MUN Botanical Garden in St. John’s Newfoundland, and, in time, on the windswept shores of Fogo Island.
Holding space in nature
During our Outdoor Play Grief Support Groups, amid the trees and open sky, children and families find space to move, create, and gently hold their grief together. The short video below offers a window into this work.
Play Log
Planning for Play and Leaving Room for Emergence
Here’s the thing no one really prepares you for: Raising children, living with children, teaching and caring for them—it’s messy.... Read more
Rethinking Play: From Behaviour to Culture
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my career in play—yes, play—and the work I’ve done to champion children’s right to it. Throughout... Read more
Shared Principles of Outdoor Play-Based Learning: A Guide for Educators
In early childhood education, there is little agreement on how to define play, play-based learning, or even the broader purpose... Read more
Interested in Partnering?
Do you have an idea that intersects children's mental health and outdoor play?
We'd love to hear from you!
Land Acknowledgement
Playful Mindset is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial. We recognize the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. The land we play on is Indigenous land.