Supporting Humorous Play in Schools
Developing new resources for teachers to use in the classroom that promote humour and play.
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected the lives of children across the world.
Children’s experiences of lockdowns resulted in interruptions to attending school and limited children’s opportunities to socialise outside of their immediate family. A great deal of research has demonstrated that the pandemic had a significant impact on children’s wellbeing.
As children returned to school, the importance of children having opportunities to play and be playful with others after a long period of uncertainty, worry, and isolation became even more important.
The Giggle Games
With funding from the Cardiff University ‘Innovation for All’ scheme, our team harnessed evidence from our research on children’s humorous play. We worked with our partners at Play Wales and with primary school teachers to develop new resources to use in the classroom, called the Giggle Games.
Giggle Games have been disseminated to over 75 organisations in the UK and internationally. The resources have been shared with local primary schools in South Wales and have been requested by child practitioners working in children’s wards, hospices, and family centres.
With funding from the Welsh Government, and in partnership with researchers and practitioners at Concordia University, the Giggle Games were developed and translated to French for use in kindergartens in Quebec, Canada.
They have been integrated into the curriculum for trainee teachers at Concordia University to support students’ training in playful practice and exemplify how they can integrate playful pedagogy in their practice.
“It was heart-warming to witness the children burst into laughter as they imitated a cow making a barking sound… This game, simple and full of silly fun, serves as an excellent tool for encouraging children to think creatively and express themselves.”
Impact
The Giggle Games have reached over 10,000 children through the various stages of our projects.
The resources were nominated for the International Play Association ‘Right to Play’ Award and have been featured in:
- Play for Wales Magazine
- the Play Wales website
- Playful Childhoods blog
They have been integrated into workshops and events at Techniquest, in local schools, in the Food and Fun Cardiff Council School Enrichment Programme, and at STEM events like Be a Scientist 2024.
The resources have also been shared at the Bridgend County Borough Council Schools Improvement Event in March 2024 and presented at the World Organization for Early Childhood Education in Bologna in 2025.
For more information about the Giggle Games, read our impact story.
Contact us
If you would like to use the Giggle Games in your classroom, we have limited resources available for primary schools in Wales, please contact us for your pack at play@cardiff.ac.uk.
This project is in collaboration with Dr Nina Howe and Dr Nathalie Rothschild from Concordia University.
Research suggests that opportunities for play and humour are more vital than ever for children following a long period of uncertainty, worry and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.