Welcome

The practice of playwork originated in adventure playgrounds, created in the middle of the twentieth century to provide children’s spaces within urban environments. Common Threads was set up in 1999 by Dr Shelly Newstead to develop playwork training and publications, and since then we have employed 80 trainers across the world, developed 32 new resources to support good playwork practice and donated over £6000 to international NGO's which support children's right to play.

Still operating as a social enterprise, Common Threads continues to develop playwork practice internationally through innovative projects and publications. Nowadays we focus on the development of the PARS model of playwork practice, which is currently being used by practitioners across China, the UK, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, the Channel Islands and Australia. 

You can find more details of our current projects by using the buttons at the top of this page (hover for drop-down menus), or join our database to receive our termly newsletters.

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