Space for Play

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Space for Play

Turning spaces into green community places for all. Check our website! https://www.spaceforplay.org/

Spaces open to public without entrance fees are hard to find in Cairo, the majority of public space has been privatized. True public spaces specially serving the needs of children are simply non-existent in Cairo. The privileged Cairenes go to their clubs,but where can the vast majority of children play? In our workshops we create space for children to play and meet. Together with the local children, we co-create and construct play elements, It is a great way to do something physical for your city.Intensive, fun and most of all rewarding workshops in which you learn how to create playspace for children in Cairo.

18/09/2026

Small changes can have big impact. We turned underused outdoor spaces into places to play, explore and flourish 🌿

Together with Graceful Hands Malaysia, a preschool based in Ampang, we’ve co-designed and co-constructed their outdoor spaces into playful, multi-use environments that invite young learners to learn through free outdoor play.

Phase 01 — Monday on wheels! 🚲
A simple parking lot becomes a mini circuit, with DIY cardboard kiosks, a gas station and bamboo tunnel coming next.

Phase 02 — From boring terrace to play heaven! 🛝
We transformed the toddlers’ outdoor area by reusing existing structures and adding playful stairs, a broad slide, kiosk, sandpit, counter and den-building corner.

Phase 03 — Growing the playground 🌱
Coming September: a circular nature path weaving through shrubs, plants and fruit trees.

Small changes. Big possibilities for play. 💚

24/08/2026

🌏🤸🏽‍♀️📚🪵 First Malaysian public school where children designed their ideal natural play & learn landscape!

Countless ideas and voices are shaping the future of cooler school spaces for play at SJK(C) Poi Min, Kuala Lumpur. 🌿☀️

In two days of workshops, we explored play and climate with students aged 7–12, including how urban heat affects the use of outdoor spaces, and how we can help creating cooler cities.

More importantly, we listened to what they want for their school landscape: from sand and swings, fruit trees, "no rules zones", rabbits, silent shaded places , climbing trees and obstacle courses.

The children showed us a clear desire for more opportunities to shape their own play, creatively, challenging and incorporating nature.

We also found a striking gap between what children currently can play in their school and their wished-for opportunities to play more.

Next steps: we’re taking these ideas from both children and teachers - and YES they DO have overlapping outcomes - into the next phase: designing a natural play and learning landscape that responds to their needs, their climate, and their imagination.

06/08/2026

Excited for our first PUBLIC SCHOOL project in MALAYSIA🌱🏫🇲🇾

Grateful to be working with SJK(C) Poi Min Puchong, as they aspire to co-create their Natural Schoolscape for active play and learning ! 🌿🤸🏽‍♂️

🤝 Together with Pollin8 (Jia-Ping Lee & Xinnie), Roots & Shoots Malaysia (TP LIM) we had an eye-opening co-learn and co-design workshop with teachers and boardmembers.

🚸Next week, we will be having 4 more workshops with students from Year 1-6. As children always teach us new insights and give us the best ideas, we are curious to hear from them on creating cooler, greener, and more playful school environments.

Stay tuned!

29/06/2026

🤸 Earlier this year, we are delighted to welcome St. Christopher's International Primary School (SCIPS) Penang as Space for Play Asia's very first client! 🤸‍♂️

As the first Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) school in Asia, SCIPS indeed has an inspiring philosophy of play, recognising it as an essential part of children's holistic development. With extended free-play breaks, children are trusted with the freedom to explore, take risks, lead their own play, and learn from one another.

For this project, we customised our participation process to let children in Year 3, 4 and 5 as well as their dedicated student leaders known as "Play Champions" lead the conversation about the future of their school grounds. We were genuinely inspired by their creativity which has given us insights to shape our initial sketch design for the school. We look forward to realising the children's ideas in the next stages. 🤝🌱

10/06/2026

Children need PLAY for a healthy, holistic development. They learn & grow through play.

But...

Children today are spending far less time playing outdoors, particularly in dense urban environments where opportunities for free play, exploration, and independent movement are rapidly declining.

And in many schools, outdoor spaces remain underutilised, over-regulated, or treated as secondary to academic environments.

Yet for these children, some of the most meaningful experiences of learning, belonging, emotional well-being, creativity, social skills, and physical health develop through play, beyond classroom walls.

Join us for our first Play Talk this (11 June 2026, 6pm GMT+8) where we will discuss play... seriously!

Starting with:

"Bringing Back Play in Urban Areas"

with Renet, Soraya, Hafiz, and Syaza.

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🤸🏾‍♂️ Protect Play
🧑‍🧒 Protect Childhood

21/03/2026

💛💙Happy International Down Syndrome Day! 💛💙

Did you know that 21 March (21/3) is officially celebrated as World Down Syndrome Day?
The date symbolises the triplication of the 21st chromosome, which is unique to people with Down syndrome.

🌍 Observed annually by the United Nations since 2012, this day raises global awareness, advocates for rights, and promotes the inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Because many individuals with Down syndrome experience distinct cognitive capacities, and physical characteristics particularly their low muscle tone, it is especially important to design spaces that support their cognitive, physical, and sensory development through play!

Earlier in February, we Renet Korthals Altes and Syaza Suraini had the opportunity to co-learn and co-design with teachers and parents at Malaysia's Association for Down Syndrome Persatuan Sindrom Down Malaysia (PSDM) in Ampang.

During the session, participants reflected on:
✨ the development aspects to prioritise
✨ the types of play that support this development
✨ how we can continue to co-design meaningful play spaces, making use of what already exists in the environment

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us; especially Pn Hanizan Hussin, President of PSDM, for welcoming us so warmly as we begin this ongoing collaborative journey 🤝

As we move into the next phase of developing conceptual designs for “Spaces for Play” at PSDM, we welcome collaborations and support from those who would like to help turn ideas into reality and giving every child has the opportunity to thrive through play. 🌱

How are your learning environments, indoors and outdoors, supporting Learning through Play, for the development of children with Down Syndrome?

19/03/2026

🌿 How can Play support your learning and developmental goals? 🌿

🔜 Buckle up! Space for Play's Renet Korthals Altes is getting ready for a hands-on workshop at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) at San Francisco, USA together with Bethany Wilinski and Nancy Arbogast.

We believe that when spaces are designed thoughtfully, children at play can become:

✨ innovators
✨ conflict-solvers
✨ caretakers
✨ risk-takers
✨ troubleshooters
✨ communicators
✨ fixers
✨ activists
✨ leaders
and the list goes on...!

🤔💭 In this interactive workshop, participants will design their own ideal playscape that intentionally supports the diverse goals of their existing or prospective programmes.

Whether it is to uphold greater equity and inclusion ⚖️
environmental awareness and climate education 🍃
informal learning and active behaviour 🤸🏼‍♂️
emotional wellbeing, trauma processing 😌 or
creativity and innovation... 🎨🖌️💡

SPACE AS THE THIRD TEACHER can powerfully invite these forms of development during free play.

Let us explore simple interventions and spatial elements to transform
existing outdoor environments 🌳🍃 into meaningful places where children can learn, grow, and thrive through play 𖠋♡𖠋

See you there!

Find out more about the conference at: https://conference.cies.us/

10/03/2026

Can the creativity of Kuala Lumpur’s future generation be stimulated by their environment? 🌆✨

With Kuala Lumpur recently proclaimed as a UNESCO Creative City of Design, the conversation around design, creativity, and people-centred cities has never been more important.

As part of this momentum, Renet Korthals Altes will be representing Space for Play in a seminar exploring how our cities can nurture creativity through thoughtful design.

Joining forces with:
• Joan Tan (Think City)
• Prof. Dr. Shuhana Shamsuddin
• Ms. Aina Salwani
Together we will be discussing “People-Centred Cities through Design and Creativity" moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Camelia Kusumo Head of School - School of Architecture, Building and Design at Taylor's University.

This seminar will be held on:
📅 Saturday / 4 April 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Anticipate a meaningful exchange on how our environments can inspire the creativity, imagination, and wellbeing of the next generation. Scan the QR code to register, hope to see you there!

04/03/2026

🌱🤸🏾 South East Asia play makers, join us in creating more "Spaces for Play" 🤸🏾🌱

With over 20 years of international experience in designing spaces for and with children which stimulate all children to play, learn and move more, we are excited to embark on new adventures in South East Asia!

🎯Our goal is to create more inclusive Spaces for Play for urban children in Malaysia and beyond.
We do so,
As we believe in the power of play; in its essential value for children's development - especially those growing up in dense cities.
We do so,
As we know how unguided play improves children's (mental) health, cognitive and language development, creativity, skills to cooperate, resolve conflicts or assess risks and even their eye-sight!

⁉️HOW? Turning existing areas around schools into more inclusive, climate-adaptive, varied and differentiated Spaces for Play seems the most efficient way to give more urban children access and permission to play freely and safely in ways that accelerates their development.
Step by step ... one school at a time ....!

🙌Together with Malaysian Learning Spaces (MYLES) we are establishing "Space for Play in Asia" and building a regional design practice, rooted in:
> Co-designing inclusive play spaces - together with children, educators, local communities and local architects; and
> Learning through Play to enhance inclusive Learning & Development of all children.

🌏🫱🏾🤝 We are growing and open to collaborations with architects, local governments, schools, educators, designers, researchers, NGOs, universities and communities who share our values about children's Right to Play.

🎓Looking forward to further explore possible collaboration with these inspirational professionals who we already have met! Suraini -Ping Lee Leak Chan Malaysia City Ong Kong Prof Shuhana Shamsuddin Nurul Syala Soraya Sauli Fadzila Aziz Aby -nallari -Chatterjee -kulkarni Bajaj Survatia Learning Space Network

08/02/2025

[NL] ‘Minder plekken voor meiden in de openbare ruimte ... Het begint al op het schoolplein ! Al op de basisschool, maar juist ook op middelbare scholen. Bekijk het gedrag van jullie leerlingen op het schoolplein eens door de bril van insclusiviteit.... Zoals weer extra werd aangetoond met deze mooie graphic van Onderzoeken vertellen het volgende: meiden staan/ zitten meer aan de randen van het plein, jongens zijn actiever, de meeste oppervlakte wordt ingenomen door jongens. In een sterke participatieve aanpak, leggen we met de leerlingen & leerkrachten de vinger op het probleem en vinden we oplossingen: wat gaat deze scholieren op dit plein helpen om een fijn schoolplein voor IEDEREEN te maken? Een plein dat iedereen prikkelt om te bewegen, dat veilig en gezellig voelt? Waar je buiten les kunt hebben, waar biodiversiteit en diversiteit in functies naast elkaar bestaan, koel in de zomer, minder plassen in de herfst, een plein waar je je frustraties kunt afreageren, of juist lekker met vrienden kunt chillen? Jullie verzinnen, wij ontwerpen! Zie hier het resultaat van .zuidoost . Momenteel bezig met geweldige schoolplein transformatie processen voor in ,met voor

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https://www.spaceforplay.org/

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