ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of the Play Cycle as explained in the ‘Colorado Paper’. The Play Cycle is unpacked in relation to its six elements: metalude, play cue, play return, play frame, loop and flow and annihilation. Each element is considered in contexts prior to, and after, the ‘Colorado Paper’ was first presented to the playwork profession in 1998. Playwork has been explained and defined over the years in a number of different ways: They manage the play environment and provide the resources which enable children’s play. The metalude is the most overlooked, and possibly most misunderstood, component and element of the Play Cycle. Using video recordings, the study found that fathers engaged in more social play. The importance of the adult to be sensitive and able to pick up on these cues has been suggested to develop a more playful approach to learning.
