Risky Play: Hands-On Exploration and Design for Adventurous Learning Spaces · London · Nov 19, 2026

Facilitated by: Lobna Ajaini, She/Her, MPED, HBECL, B.Eng, RECE This hands-on, in-person workshop invites educators to explore risky play through reflection, exploration, and collaborative design. Participants will engage with how children learn through challenge, uncertainty, and physical engagement, while rethinking how risk is understood in early childhood settings. Through open-ended materials and guided experiences, educators will explore, examine, and design environments that balance safety with opportunity; supporting children's confidence, resilience, and agency through intentional practice. Learning Objectives 1. Reflect on and examine personal and professional perspectives on risky play to deepen understanding of how risk is perceived in .ECE 2. Explore how children learn through hands-on challenge, uncertainty, and physical engagement, and how these experiences support confidence, resilience, and agency. 3. Design and consider play environments that balance safety with opportunity, using intentional, open-ended materials and pedagogical strategies. Lobna Ajaini, MPEd Pedagogist, HBECL, B.Eng, RECE, is a multiple award-winning Early Childhood Education leader, ECE Professor, and founder of Childhood Empowerment. Drawing on her engineering background, she combines technical knowledge with ECE to inspire educators with innovative strategies, fostering creativity, equity, and lifelong learning while making a lasting impact in the community  Pedagogical Focuses: Belonging - Engagment - Expression - Well-Being - Leadership Standards of Practice: Standard I: Caring and Responsive Relationships, Standard II:  Curriculum and Pedagogy, Standard III:  Safety, Health and Well-Being in the Learning Environment, Standard IV:  Professionalism and Leadership Registration closes: Thursday, November 12 at 12:00 PM *Ticket types are based on the county you WORK in.  While we welcome participation from outside of the Early Years sector, please note these learning opportunities are intended for early years professionals and the early years lens will be emphasized.