Children's Health, Play and Wellbeing
Children's Health, Play and Wellbeing is a foundation degree that focuses on the role of play and playfulness in supporting the development and wellbeing of children and young people from birth to eighteen. Play is not simply leisure, it is one of the primary ways through which children learn, develop emotionally, build relationships, and make sense of the world. This understanding has made play-based approaches increasingly central to health, education, and social care services, and practitioners who can work with children using play as a professional tool are in growing demand across those sectors.
At the University of Suffolk, this two-year, full-time programme develops your skills and understanding for practice in a variety of settings that focus on supporting children and their families. You will explore the theory and evidence base for play-based approaches, examining how play supports physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development, and how it can be used therapeutically to help children process difficult experiences or overcome developmental challenges. The curriculum bridges education, health, and social care, reflecting the reality that children's wellbeing is supported by practitioners working across all three sectors.
Combining theory with practice ensures that your learning is grounded in the realities of working with children in early years settings, schools, hospitals, and community contexts.
Graduates of this foundation degree work as play support workers, play therapists in training, nursery practitioners, teaching assistants, healthcare assistants with a focus on children, family support workers, and Special Educational Needs Coordinators. The foundation degree can also serve as a stepping stone to further study at honours degree level in childhood studies, education, social work, or health, for those who wish to develop their qualifications and career prospects further. The combination of play theory and cross-sector practical understanding makes graduates valuable across the full range of services that support children's health and development.