The CACHE Level 3 Award in Induction to Playwork, Certificate in Playwork and Diploma in playwork, QCF (Qualifications Credit Framework) qualifications recognise the 16 play types as devised in ‘A playworker’s Taxonomy of Play Types’ by Bob Hughes.
What is Rough & Tumble Play?
Rough & Tumble is about close encounter play which believe it or not is about children play fighting, where the intention is not to hurt their play mates but to engage in play that includes tickling and gauging relative strength. The outcomes include the chance to discover through play their own and others physical flexibility and the exhilaration of display that it produces.
Often rough & tumble play is seen as wrestling and fighting which regularly is disallowed in play and early year’s settings’ due to the risk factors it often presents. Consider how you could engage children in this play type whilst minimising the risk factors, for example, having a certain area that they can take part in this play maybe with soft gym mats, rules of play that should include a ‘word signal to end the play when a child wishes to disengage.