play and playwork

Welcome to Common Threads!

Common Threads is a world-wide community of playwork practitioners, trainers, development and support workers, authors, academics and theorists which exists to promote playwork theory and practice.

Playwork practice is a distinct set of methods which can be used by adults in any setting with children and young people of all ages to support playfulness. We provide training in these methods and publish resources which support playwork theory and practice. We offer information and support to anybody using, or who is interested in using, playwork practice.

We operate as a social enterprise which means that we make a charge for some of the things we do, so that we can put the profits back into providing support and information for our members, developing research projects and giving financial support to grass-roots projects both in the UK and abroad. We have also developed socially responsible ways of working, read the full details here: Ethical Trading Policy.

Common Threads is currently made up of over 7,000 members, 50 trainers who deliver our courses both across the UK and abroad and a (small!) handful of office-based folk who keep the show on the road. We invite anybody who works with children to join us to work for more playfulness in children's lives!

What's new

   Buskers Guides - get the complete set at a discounted price!

   Playwords - new Spring 2012 Issue 44 available now; free to members.

  Essential Skills for Managers of Child-Centred Settings - new fully updated second edition just published.

  Our new YouTube channel - see videos of The Playtime! Project and videos from our management skills training courses.

  Bookings for the ICCP 26th World Play Conference are now being taken.

  The revised second edition of the Buskers Guide to Playwork was published recently. If you've never seen inside a Buskers Guide then let us know and we will send you an excerpt.

  We are currently revising our training program so please contact us to discuss your requirements. Information about school playtime training is available here.