The School of Play
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Five La Trobe University studies of our programs, from Grade 3 classrooms to the staffroom. Statistically significant gains in energy, mood, mindfulness and student autonomy.
*Preliminary: a descriptive rise in average vitality that was not statistically significant after adjustment. The adult (2022, peer-reviewed) and Student Agency autonomy (2024) results are statistically significant.
Since 2022, La Trobe University researchers have put our programs to the test five times: in the staffroom, with student leaders and in everyday classrooms, from Grade 3 to Year 8. Here is what they found.
*Descriptive increase in average subjective vitality (energy, enthusiasm and aliveness) at Keilor Views Primary School, Grades 3–4, after eight weeks. The researchers observed a small positive effect; it was not statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons and is a preliminary finding.
Every study measured real people in real school communities, before and after playing with us. The strongest results are statistically significant, and every study has shaped how our programs are built today.
Vitality up 40%, positive mood up 30%, mindfulness up 32% and negative mood down 20%. All four were statistically significant, large effects.
Primary students’ autonomy rose 9.4% (4.69 → 5.13), a statistically significant, large effect seen only in students who did the program, not the control group.
No statistically significant change over five weeks. The researchers point to student engagement as a factor, which shaped how the program is now run.
Average vitality rose 9.7% (4.34 → 4.76), a small positive effect in line with previous play research. Preliminary: not statistically significant after adjustment.
No statistically significant change over eight weeks. The researchers recommend larger, longer, controlled studies, which we are committed to.
01. Ruddock, M., Draganovic, P., & Gibson, T. All work and no play: A structured play program to improve adult wellbeing. Journal of Play in Adulthood.
02. O’Dell, T. (2024). Student Agency Wellbeing Program: A Peer-led, Play-Based Wellbeing Intervention. Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) thesis, La Trobe University.
03. Todero, T. (2024). The Impact on Autonomy and Vitality on Adolescent Student Leaders: A Play-Based Intervention. Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) thesis, La Trobe University.
04. Pearce, E. (2026). Enhancing Children’s Wellbeing Through Play-Based Curriculum: Effects on Life Satisfaction, Positive Affect and Vitality. Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) thesis, La Trobe University.
05. Mirabella, L. (2026). Investigating the Effects of a Play-Based Curriculum on Year 8 Students’ Sense of School Belonging and Resilience. Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) thesis, La Trobe University.
Studies 2–5 are La Trobe University Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) theses; study 1 is peer-reviewed and published. Programs ran from one session to eight weeks, mostly in single schools. Studies 1, 4 and 5 had no control group. The adult and Student Agency results are statistically significant; the 9.7% vitality rise is a descriptive, preliminary finding that was not statistically significant after adjustment.
These are preliminary, single-school, eight-week evaluations without control groups. Neither study established statistically significant overall improvements in its measured wellbeing outcomes. The curriculum strengths described here are documented design features, intended learning opportunities and alignment with established research, not experimentally demonstrated benefits.
Two 2026 La Trobe University theses identify seven established psychological theories behind The School of Play. Every week turns them into games, movement, gratitude and giving that your teachers can run tomorrow, in five minutes a day.
Motivation and wellbeing grow when three needs are met: autonomy (choice), competence (feeling capable) and relatedness (connection).
In the curriculum: Playful challenges, real choices and collaboration in every week.
Joy and interest broaden how children think and act, and repeated positive experiences build lasting psychological and social resources.
In the curriculum: Laughter, movement, gratitude and shared enjoyment are built in on purpose, not saved as a reward.
Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making can be taught and practised.
In the curriculum: All five CASEL competencies, practised through play rather than worksheets.
Belonging is a fundamental human need, and positive, ongoing relationships are essential to wellbeing.
In the curriculum: Shared games, partner activities and inclusive group challenges every week.
Resilience is built from individual skills plus supportive relationships and environments, not personality alone.
In the curriculum: Manageable challenges, setbacks and teamwork, with reflection afterwards.
Children develop through the classrooms, peers, teachers and communities around them.
In the curriculum: Teacher-led, inside everyday classrooms, so the environment changes with the child.
Play drives exploration, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving, yet it fades from school after the early years.
In the curriculum: Structured, age-appropriate play from Kindergarten to Year 9.
The PEGG framework translates complex psychology into practical activities teachers deliver in everyday school life. Play is not an interruption to learning. It is one of the ways learning happens.
The “wider research” figures come from the broader literature cited in the two 2026 La Trobe University honours theses (Pearce, 2026; Mirabella, 2026). They describe that research, not outcomes measured in The School of Play evaluations.
Compiled with La Trobe University and partner schools. The full research summary, with methodology, sample sizes and citations.
Co-authored with La Trobe University researchers and Todd Gibson. Methodology and conflict-of-interest declarations included in the report.
Read the published article →Study 01: Adult FunShops, La Trobe University (2022). 15 teachers and parents, one 1-hour session, self-reported. All four changes statistically significant, large effects. Published in the Journal of Play in Adulthood.
When play is part of the system, not just a break from it, the outcomes follow.
Outside the formal research, schools and early learning centres across the region have built long-running partnerships with us. Three of them, below, illustrate what an embedded play culture looks like in practice.
How Mossgiel Park Primary became a whole-school play culture. Three years of consistent practice, staff buy-in from day one, and a principal who made play a non-negotiable part of every week.
How Clyde Creek Primary embedded play, exercise, gratitude and giving into every corner of school life, and what the data looked like when they did.
How a kindergarten room used the School of Play Curriculum to build confidence, communication and connection in their youngest learners, in the educators' own words.
These are partnership descriptions, not measured research outcomes. For peer-reviewable wellbeing measurements see the two formal studies above.
Every study follows the same process: a baseline, a structured play program, the same measures again afterwards, then analysis by La Trobe University researchers.
Anonymous wellbeing surveys using validated scales, capturing where participants start.
The program runs for a defined window, from a single one-hour FunShop to eight weeks of teacher-led curriculum.
The same measures repeated, then compared with the baseline, and with a control group where the design allowed.
La Trobe University researchers analyse and write up the results, including the findings that were not significant.
Our research demonstrates structured play's capacity to meaningfully improve wellbeing across diverse age groups, communities and contexts.
Universities, education departments and independent researchers, we welcome collaboration on longitudinal play-based wellbeing studies.
Start a conversation →Our first La Trobe University study, of Adult FunShops, is peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Play in Adulthood. The four since are La Trobe Honours research theses, and all five are in the timeline at the top of this page.
One structured, one-hour play session for 15 teachers and parents. Vitality rose 40%, positive mood 30% and mindfulness 32%, while negative mood fell 20%. All statistically significant.
A five-week program where student leaders ran play for their peers, with control groups. Primary students’ autonomy rose 9.4%, a significant effect not seen in the control group.
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All five studies were run by La Trobe University researchers. The 2022 adult study was co-authored by Todd Gibson, and studies 02–05 are La Trobe Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) theses. Methodology and limitations are set out in each study report.
Yes. The published study is open access. Email support@theschoolofplay.co for citation guidance and we'll send you the full methodology and supporting materials.
Study 01, the 2022 La Trobe University study of Adult FunShops, is peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Play in Adulthood; the article is open access and linked in the Published Work section above. Studies 02–05 are La Trobe University Honours research theses.
Yes, we're always looking for partner schools to participate in longitudinal studies. Get in touch and we'll tell you what's currently in the field.
Pair the research with the program. Curriculum for schools, leadership workshops for teams, and a free app for families. Tell us where you are and we will point you to the right one.
