Why Play, Creativity & the Arts
Our vision is to see every child thrive as the best version of themselves.
At Playeum we use play and the arts to create, develop & grow.
Play is more than an activity; it is a way to make sense of the world.
To promote play, there is a need to focus on the value of play and its implications for practice. When children play, they empower themselves to experiment, push boundaries and take control of their own learning.
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Play nurtures imagination and innovation, which are both critical in thinking. It allows them to be actively engaged and think about experiences that matter to them. Through play, children develop confidence and agency to make sense of the environment around them.
Play nurtures crucial 21st century skills.
In play, children are active participants. Play provides an invitation for them to become engaged and unlock their creative potential, with adults as the co-constructors.
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Through play, children encounter situations which help nurture skills that are crucial to meet the challenges of a vast changing world. These skills include communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Play also invites children to develop adaptability, the ability to problem-solve and resilience when faced with failure.
Play, creativity and the arts are intrinsically linked.
Play is not limited to the playground. In fact, play is all around. It contains all the necessary elements of development that are needed to sustain humanity in a condensed form.
Through play, children learn to imagine, innovate and create. They learn to search for different solutions and use alternative modes of expression. These are often visible in various art forms (drama, dance, visual art, music, literature), which are often used by children when they play.
The Start of Our Journey
Playeum was started in 2008 to be a beacon for families and children in creating a safe space to express themselves and play differently.
Founded by two mothers, Sumitra Pasupathy and Jennifer Loh, it began with them having their own children and wanting a different landscape for their development. Playeum started its journey as roving pop-ups, bringing open-ended experiences to different parts of Singapore.
Playeum raised enough funds to move into its very own home at Gillman Barracks in September 2015. The Centre reached out to over 150, 000 children and their adults over five years. It has served as a safe creative space for children to interact with artists’ work and tap on the power of their imagination and create and express their own ideas, inspirations and innovations, through six exhibitions.
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Playeum has since moved from the Children’s Centre for Creativity and is growing into different spaces all over as they move ahead - both in the real world and in the cyberworld.
"We realised that it was not going to be a simple provision of alternative resources for children's play, but the greater impact would be a shift in mindsets around how children create and contribute. That's when we embarked on the journey to create Playeum."
- Jennifer Loh, Co-founder of Playeum