About us

The Play Research Centre is an international, multidisciplinary group of researchers working collaboratively to explore and better understand children’s play.

We are committed to producing high-quality, impactful research that supports children, families, and the professionals who work with them.

Children’s right to play, as recognised in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), is at the heart of our work. Through our research, we aim to promote and protect this fundamental right, ensuring that play is valued as central to children’s development and wellbeing.

We are based in the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS) in the School of Psychology.

Our aims

At The Play Research Centre, we have a broad programme of work where we investigate the important role of play in how children connect with others across different settings, from family life to educational and healthcare environments.

We work closely with children, families, educators, and charity partners to make new discoveries about how play benefits children. Our main aims are to:

• conduct high-quality research using rigorous methodologies from developmental science to better understand the role of play and playful communication in children’s lives
• translate our research into real-world impact by working closely with families, educators, clinicians, charities, and other partners who support children’s development, learning, and wellbeing
• support and inspire the next generation of researchers by working closely with early-career researchers, undergraduate, and postgraduate students

Our funders

Our research is supported by funding from a range of organisations. In addition to projects we lead directly, we also conduct secondary data analysis using datasets generated by previously funded studies. We gratefully acknowledge the support of both current and past funders, including:

• The Economic and Social Research Council
• Welsh Government
• Canadian Government
• Cardiff University Impact Awards
• The Medical Research Council
• The Waterloo Foundation
• The Nuffield Foundation