“A city that runs on optimisation”
Alex from The Playhouse believes building self efficacy is critical for our children
It can be tempting to step in when a child is struggling with an idea. Alex described wanting a space where children have time to try, change their approach and try again, with adults nearby.
The Playhouse is a unique space created by Alex who has an art history background, it is a place where children can freely explore different materials, textures, ways of mark making and expressing their own ideas
The useful detail for me was the space between attempts. I would want to understand when an adult helps and when they leave a child to explore, rather than judge the room only by the toys in it.
I asked what was missing in Hong Kong_x000D_
“It isn’t that we needed more stimulating educational toys or more rigid classes to inspire discipline. It was really about space… space for children to wrestle with an idea, to try things, to fail, and to try again without an adult intervening and fixing it for them.”_x000D_
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I asked what that builds._x000D_
“Lateral thinking, or imagination, or the courage to try an unobvious answer. Those are things that we really need to make available for children to build.”_x000D_
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“Real difference between a child that waits to be told what to do and a child that leans in.”
I asked what it looks like when it is working._x000D_
“It’s all happening in their head, and they don’t really need to be told anymore.”
I would ask how adults decide when to help, and what happens when a child feels frustrated. Giving children room to explore still involves noticing when they need support.
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