Key takeaways:

- Greg’s Background and Passion: Greg, a former assistant head and early years lead, is an early years specialist, global speaker, and author of bestselling books like *Can I Go and Play Now?*, *The Book School*, *The Magic of Children*, and co-author of *Love Letters to Play*. He is deeply passionate about fostering creativity, playfulness, and the magic of childhood in early education.

- Play Advocacy: As a “play person,” Greg champions the value of play and creativity in childhood, advocating for its centrality in education to counter the adult world’s tendency to undervalue or trivialize it.

- Mild Malevolence in Storytelling: Greg emphasizes that children are drawn to stories with mild malevolence (e.g., baddies in books like *Not Now, Bernard* or *Little Red Riding Hood*), as these allow safe exploration of darker themes. He distinguishes this from real violence, noting children’s fascination with fantastical “baddies” like trolls or wolves, which they accept without fear, unlike adults’ anxieties.

- Storytelling as Play: Stories are portals for play, enabling children to explore roles (e.g., choosing “Team Wolf” over “Team Pig”) and creativity through role-play and subverting narratives, such as swapping characters and problems in Tales Toolkit activities to reframe perspectives.

- Nonsense as a Tool: Greg promotes nonsense (e.g., songs like “Cheese and Jam” or “Custard Hat”) as a magnet for children’s engagement, fostering language development and creativity. He encourages adults to embrace nonsense in play to spark joy and imagination, like creating imaginary scenarios with open-ended items.

- Joy in Education: Greg stresses that joy should drive teaching, with adults sharing their passion (e.g., through carefully chosen books) to co-create a “Kingdom of Play” where children’s and adults’ joy intertwine, avoiding rigid curricula that stifle playfulness.

- Supporting Teachers: For less confident educators, Greg suggests modeling playful behaviors (e.g., sharing nonsense rhymes), providing “play permits” to encourage staff to engage, and inviting playful parents to interact with children, demonstrating the power of play and building teacher confidence through observation and reflection.

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