PARS in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong PARS training is run by Playright. Playright aims to build a society that respects, protects and fulfills a child’s right to play, where children can enjoy their childhood. https://playright.org.hk Playright strives to satisfy the play needs of every child through a variety of demonstration projects and community empowerment, including organizing activities, arrangement of professional training, provision of play resources and operation of play spaces. Find out more about our PARS Licenced Trainers in Hong Kong here.
The PARS model is the backbone of the professional training to train up teaching staff and community workers to support children’s free play in early childhood settings, special schools and community play spaces across Hong Kong. Read about one participant’s experience of taking part in PARS training in Hong Kong in Nursery World.
Our PARS trainers in HK have recently been awarded funding to develop the PARS professional development programme – read more on our blog here.
Play in school
In Hong Kong, children start their schooling at an early age. Hence, it would be ideal if play could be integrated into their school life. Starting from 2011, we have introduced play in special schools. Through demonstration projects, training for teachers, on-site consultancy and de-briefing and parents’ talks, we have helped teachers to arrange free play on their own.
In response to the requirement that “half-day and whole-day kindergartens should enable children to participate in free play lasting for no less than 30 and 50 minutes respectively every day” stipulated in the “Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide” issued by the Education Bureau in early 2017, we seized the opportunity to launch the “Seed School Training Programme”. With the different characteristics and needs of schools in mind, we have arranged demonstrations, training and on-site consultancy and de-briefing to equip school teachers with the skills of arranging free play through the use of the PARS model.
We hope that the concept of “Seed Schools” will be expanded so that free play time can be extended from kindergartens to all pre-school settings, special schools and primary schools.
Play in the community
Children’s holistic growth is also related to their wider communities, not just their schools. If people in the communities accept children’s play, support play and even create opportunity for play, children can grow and develop more healthily. Hence, we began the trial of our community play projects in 2012. In 2013, we launched a 3-year project titled “The Playbourhood” and implemented this in different phases in Tin Shui Wai, Wong Tai Sin, Sau Mau Ping and Tseung Kwan O.
In 2017, we introduced another 3-year project named “Playful Community League” which was implemented in Tai Po, Lai Chi Kok, Central Western District and Kwai Tsing. We aim to motivate the residents, community groups and organizations to join together and share their efforts to build up an atmosphere of free play and to establish a regular play space in the community parks so as to create a playful community for children. The PARS model underpins the training of the Play in the Community project both in the way that we offer advice about designing community play spaces and in our training for the community workers.
We hope that there will be a child-led play space in every community and this concept can blossom in all 18 districts in Hong Kong so that every little neighbour can benefit from play.
Certificate and Diploma in PARS Playwork Practice courses have been held for child related professionals and university students in the past few years and we hope that more children can enjoy play with the dissemination of the PARS model.
“I have benefited a lot from the course and it changes my previous understanding of free play. I get to know more about the principles of free play, the way to prepare for it and how to implement it.”
Lam Ching Yi Tack Ching Kindergarten, Hong Kong
“I would highly recommend PARS training to anyone who wants to learn more about children and why play is such an important thing in children’s and, in fact, in everybody’s life.”
Cam CheungHong Kong
“I am grateful to take the Certificate in PARS Playwork Practice course and understand the theories of PARS model, which can help me to manage and assist teachers to practice real free play and implement free playtime, so that children can enjoy playing.”
Chung Lai ManTack Ching Kindergarten, Hong Kong
“I would highly recommend PARS training to anyone who wants to learn more about children and why play is such an important thing in children’s and, in fact, in everybody’s life.”
Cam CheungHong Kong
“The course is a combination of theory and interactive activities. The trainers teach and elaborate in detail, and the students have high involvement. We enjoy every session of the course!”
Yung Sin SauTack Ching Kindergarten
“Through this training, it greatly inspired and benefited my teaching. Through clear explanations, demonstrations, and experience sharing by the trainers, it deepened my concept and understanding of free play. I hope that more teachers will have the opportunity to participate in the course in the future, so that the concept of free play can be extended to more schools.”
Tsang Ching YeeTack Ching Kindergarten
“Being a kindergarten teacher for nearly 10 years, I feel a little bit guilty that I worked as a controller while I was setting all the games for my students. But after the training courses, I learnt what is the real meaning of ‘playing’. Thank you the founder of the PARS Model and the professional playworkers for having the truly amazing talk for us. Thank you so much!”
Tsang Ching YeeTack Ching Kindergarten
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在香港，PARS model的培訓是由智樂兒童遊樂協會提供， 智樂兒童遊樂協會旨於建立一個尊重、保護、實踐兒童遊戲權利的社會，讓小朋友樂享童年。
孩子的健康成長中，由學校至社區，遊戲均屬不可或缺，要達成目標，遊戲機會和大人的支持是關鍵。智樂的遊戲及遊戲工作透過多元化的項目作示範及賦權，包括舉辦活動、安排專業培訓、提供遊戲資源、營運遊戲空間等。
遊戲工作專業培訓以PARS model 為骨幹，讓幼稚園和特殊學校的教職員、及社區人士學懂如何為成長中的每一位兒童，創造遊戲，滿足小朋友的需要。
遊戲在校園
小朋友年紀小小便入學，能將遊戲加入校園日程，自是理想不過。我們自2011年開始，便將遊戲率先引入特殊學校，透過遊戲示範、老師培訓、到校顧問及指導、家長講座等，協助校內老師自主舉行自由遊戲。
隨著教育局在2017年年初公佈《幼稚園教育課程指引》，要求「半日制及全日制幼稚園，應分別每日安排幼兒參與不少於30分鐘及50分鐘的自由遊戲」，我們因而抓緊機會，推出以PAR model為培訓基礎的「種子學校培訓計劃」，配合不同學校的特色，安排示範、培訓及指導等，裝備學校掌握開展自由遊戲的方法，讓學前幼兒在校也可自在遊戲。
我們期望，種子學校的概念能延展擴大，令校內自由遊戲的時間安排，由幼稚園延伸至所有學前教育服務、特殊學校和小學。
遊戲在校園影片:
好玩社區
孩子天天在社區穿梭來回，當所在的社區接納兒童遊戲、支持遊戲、甚至能創造遊戲，自可促進小朋友健康成長。我們在2013年開始歷時3年的社區遊戲項目「鄰舍遊戲計劃」，並於天水圍、黃大仙、秀茂坪及將軍澳逐一推展。
2017年我們以另一個3年計劃「好玩社區同盟」，進駐大埔、荔枝角、中西區及葵青區，寄望當區的友好街坊、鄰近組織、社福團體也加入參與，人人出一己之力，凝聚社區力量，營造自由遊戲的氣氛，此計劃亦以PARS model作培訓基礎，讓社區人士認識怎樣在社區公園建立恆常好玩空間，為孩子創造好玩社區。
我們期望，每個社區均有由孩子話事的社區遊樂空間，好玩社區的概念能遍地開花，惠及全港18區的每一位小街坊。
好玩社區影片﹕
此外，在過去幾年，我們舉辦了以PARS model 為基礙的遊戲工作實踐證書課程及遊戲工作實踐文憑課程，讓更多從事與兒童有關的專業人士及學生，能更深化的認識自由遊戲，藉此令更多兒童能享受真正的自由遊戲。