T2T – Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) to record the process of play

The Play Cycle was first introduced in 1998 by Gordon Sturrock and Perry Else at the International Play Association (IPA) Conference, Colorado, USA. The Play Cycle focuses on the process of play. In 2018, Dr. Pete King and Dr. Shelly Newstead researched the use and understanding of the Play Cycle that resulted in a revision of the six key elements that make it up. From the revised Play Cycle, Dr. Pete King developed a new method in recording the process of play: The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM). The PCOM has been piloted using both videos and in ‘real-time and offers a valid and reliable method to observe and record elements of the Play Cycle.

This two and a half hour online workshop offers the opportunity for trainers, teachers, and lecturers in both play and playwork to use the PCOM and use this new observational tool to support both practitioners and students studying play and playwork.