Hi, I'm Anna, play advocate and mum of 4!
I am a former EYFS lead teacher & advisory teacher for the local borough.
In 2009 I started the Imagination Tree blog as a way to share simple ways to play with kids at home. I don't expect it to take off in the way it did but within 2 years it had won national awards and was reaching 2 million viewers per month. The need for support and ideas for busy parents was clear!
I've been making it my mission to share about the power of child-led play and creativity for both children and adults ever since.
Play is the fundamental core and right of childhood yet it is being eroded in this modern era. Our children are being robbed of both the time and space to pursue it freely due to academic pressures, extracurricular activity overload, screen addiction and over-protective parenting.
It's not only the kids who are suffering. As parents we are in a perpetual state of information-overload with social media representations being picture-perfect and unattainable. We are being consumed by feelings of overwhelm and guilt, which are causing our mental health to suffer and affecting our ability to connect with our kids.
The good news? We CAN make simple changes to rebalance these issues and give our kids back their childhoods, while relieving pressure on ourselves too. It's never too late.
I am here to help and support you on this journey!
From all of this I have two simple yet powerful key objectives here at incrediPLAY:
to help children thrive in childhood by playing more
to help parents reduce their feelings of guilt and overwhelm
I have put all of my research, training and experience into creating various ways to support us to achieve these goals!
a free blog with plenty of simple play and art ideas to get you started
an online membership platform called PlayLab where you can get exclusive, 24/7 access to 5 minute play ideas, art tutorials, parenting and play theory masterclasses, a full course on developing independent play at home and a lovely community to be part of!
free play posters packed with 101 things to do with the kids
short courses on various topics to support your parenting, early education and play needs
eBooks, digital resources and curriculum content to give you quick ideas and inspiration to use at home or in the classroom
two real (ie physical!) books of invitations to play packed with ideas to use
1:1 consultants via Zoom to support you in a more personalised way (coming soon- send an enquiry email if interested)
If you would like to know more about ways in which I can support you then feel free to explore the site, read the customer reviews or email me at:
Have a great day!
Anna x