We are delighted to announce that the Journal of Play in Adulthood is now live and accepting submissions. The first issue of this new open access journal will deliver fascinating discussions on play and playfulness, and the expectations of the behavior of individuals outside of childhood. Below, we hear from the journal’s Editor, Andrew Walsh, and his dedication to highlighting the benefits of play after childhood, and the importance of learning more from our playfulness as people.

‘I’m delighted to be founding editor of the Journal of Play in Adulthood , together with an editorial board of international play experts. Although there are other play journals out there, they tend to be dominated by play in childhood, or on electronic games across various age groups. We’re expecting that this journal will be a much needed place for research into all aspects of play and playfulness in adults, rather than children. The play community is traditionally open and keen to share knowledge with one another, so it’s especially important to us to be able to use this platform to provide an open access journal that is free to read, and free to publish in.

My own research tends to be based on playful learning in adults, and I’m fascinated at the moment about how we give adults “permission to play”, as well as writing about using play as an approach to teaching and learning.

The focus of this journal is on play in adulthood to explicitly distinguish it from children’s play, and to highlight that the motivations, contexts, and forms of play are, in many cases, different. It aims to increase understanding of the need for, and benefits of, play and playfulness after childhood, and to create a robust evidence base for the value of play throughout the life course for learning, working, and living well. It also seeks to explore the barriers to the use of play with adults, and potential solutions to increasing the role of play in lifelong education, the workplace, and wider society. In summary, it covers playful living, playful working, and playful learning. The journal is keen to receive manuscripts based on original research from a wide range of disciplines, as well as extended essays, thought pieces, articles from practice, and reviews.’

Submit to the Journal of Play in Adulthood

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