Facilitating and Supporting Free Play
Facilitating and Supporting Free Play
Overview:
This interactive training session is designed to help young staff understand and implement free play, a vital but often overlooked part of healthy child development. Many staff members in today’s generation have grown up without access to unstructured play, making it essential for leadership to not only introduce the concept but also model how to support it in real-time.
Duration: 60–75 minutes
Audience: Youth development professionals ages 16–25, facilitated by directors or leadership staff
Includes: Training outline, sample activities, facilitator guidance, and an interactive planning worksheet
Participants will:
✅ Learn what free play is and why it matters
✅ Explore their own play experiences and how it shapes their approach
✅ Discover how to manage free play spaces safely and meaningfully
✅ Receive a worksheet to plan and facilitate open-ended, child-directed play experiences
✅ Gain confidence in how to explain the value of free play to parents
✅ This training embraces the mindset that letting go of control can be uncomfortable, but it’s often where the best growth happens for both kids and staff.
Perfect for: Summer camp/ Afterschool/ Teen leadership/ New youth development professionals
Includes: full lesson plan PDF + printable worksheet
🔒 Licensed for single-organization use
Disclaimer: All Youth Development Pro training resources are intended for educational use by youth development professionals, educators, and program leaders. These guides are designed to support staff in navigating activities, behaviors, and sensitive conversations with young people in camps, afterschool programs, schools, and similar group settings.
While these materials include strategies for building social-emotional skills and team engagement, they are not a substitute for legal advice, mental health diagnosis, or therapeutic intervention. Facilitators should always follow their organization's policies, consult with supervisors as needed, and escalate any concerns requiring immediate attention to the appropriate authority.
Adult supervision is required for all activities involving children. Adapt all content based on the age, needs, and safety of your participants. Youth Development Pro and its affiliates are not responsible for how materials are interpreted or implemented in individual settings.
Always prioritize the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of both participants and staff.