P.E.R. Play Explore Research

In recent decades, research has suggested a strong connection between play and learning (Piaget), emphasising the fundamental role of play in children's ability to learn and acquire skills.

Despite this, the idea of playful learning in formal and non-formal contexts is still very limited nowadays: play is perceived as a non-serious activity, mostly related to the early childhood period.

Schools are often organised in a way that gives little or no room for play and most still adopt a transmissive method that focuses on routine learning by children, devaluing the creation of meaning that comes from experimenting, exercising curiosity, cultivating passion and motivation.

For this reason, Fondazione Reggio Children and The LEGO Foundation have started a new collaboration with the P.E.R. Play Explore Research project to pursue Sustainable Development Goal 4 of Agenda 2030: provide quality, equitable and inclusive education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

A world tour to promote the relationship between play and learning and quality education

Starting from the educational experience of the city of Reggio Emilia and in continuity with the work carried out together with The LEGO Foundation in the past years, the project aims to improve the awareness of playful educational practices of teachers, educators and caregivers at an international level, to contribute to the dissemination of the benefits of this approach through the publication of doctoral research and to foster the experimentation of playful educational activities dedicated to teachers, children and their families.

Over a three-year time horizon, the P.E.R. project will be divided into three areas of intervention:

1. Realisation of 7 international conferences on 5 continents addressed to teachers, educators, policy makers, families, NGOs on the theme of the relationship between play and learning followed by in-depth discussions and workshops;
2. Publication and dissemination of research results on learning and play involving the PhD in Reggio Childhood Studies;
3. Creation of a new research centre in the former Caffarri food factory in Reggio Emilia, a large space next to the International Centre, where educators, policy makers and families can experience different playful approaches to learning through workshops and ateliers.

1. International Conferences

The project was launched from Italy on 16 and 17 November 2023 at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia with a double event: the first of 7 conferences with national and international guests, including Vanna Iori and Mitchel Resnick, and the Italian preview presentation of the MIT Media Lab's creative coding app, Octostudio. 

P.E.R.'s world tour continued in São Paulo, Brazil, with the project's second international conference-action from1 to 3 August 2024. Two intense days of in-depth discussions, dialogues, exchanges and experiences together with teachers, educators and professionals from all over Brazil to reflect on the theme "Play and Learning: Community Educational Practices" , followed by a morning of play, fun and exploration at the CEU Butantã with children, families and local communities to discover the beauty of being together through different creative possibilities.

On 10 October 2024, the third international conference was held in Johannesburg , South Africa, which brought together more than 300 teachers, educators and caregivers and representatives from South Africa, Eswatini, Cameroon and Mozambique around the theme of play and parenting. The previous two days provided a special opportunity to meet local communities and share experiences and new ways of playful parenting and childcare.

The fourth stop of the project took place from 10 to 12 April 2025 in Denver, Colorado (USA) with a conference-action entitled "Growing Worlds Together, through natural digital dialogues", which opened its doors to teachers, educators and students with plenaries and workshops dedicated to exploring play as a powerful tool for growth, understanding and learning. On Saturday 12 April, instead, the day was dedicated to families, children and communities experiencing different creative possibilities, with free admission.

In June 2025, the fifth event of the project was held in Nairobi, Kenya, with a special conference-action aimed at stakeholders and policymakers entitled ‘Empowering communities: shaping resilient pillars for quality education’, with the aim of promoting an open and participatory debate on education policies for 0-8 year olds. Compared to previous meetings, P.E.R. Kenya focused in particular on policies and regulatory frameworks for early childhood education.

On 27 and 28 September 2025, it was the turn of the Asian continent for the sixth stop with a two-day event in Hanoi, Vietnam, co-organised with Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE).

The final conference in Billund, Denmark

From 20 to 22 November 2025, on the occasion of International Children's Rights Day, the final chapter of the P.E.R. – Play Explore Research project was celebrated in Billund, Denmark, under the theme "New worlds are growing: what do we see in the future of education?".

Mitchel Resnick (MIT Media Lab), Francesco Profumo (Fondazione Reggio Children), Harold Göthson (Reggio Emilia Institutet), Ricarose Roque (University of Colorado Boulder) and Camilla Uhre Fog (International School of Billund) shared inspiring perspectives during the plenary sessions, along with welcome greetings from Camilla Uhre Fog, Joe Savage (The LEGO Foundation) and Cristian Fabbi (Fondazione Reggio Children). This was followed by a full day of practical exploration: conversations, workshops and creative meetings led by international partners, from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab to Kolding School of Design, LEGO Education, International School of Billund, PAUSE Atelier dei Sapori and Fondazione Reggio Children, through 12 different workshops on various topics: nature and the plant world, listening to materials, dance and movement, co-designing with children, creative play in the Anthropocene, digital storytelling and inclusion.

The event concluded on Saturday 22nd with a morning dedicated to families and children, who took part in the collective installation ‘Let's meet along the way!’, an open and playful installation that celebrates the joy of crossing paths, creating connections and shaping shared spaces.

2. Research

The main objective of this area of the P.E.R. project is to contribute to the dissemination and promotion of a playful approach to learning through the publication of articles and research and the sharing of documentation of experiences involving schools, families, and children.
In particular, research and dissemination activities are made possible thanks to the publication of international conference proceedings and the research work of phd students enrolled in the Reggio Childhood Studies PhD program.
In addition to the project's action conferences, doctoral students and graduates have participated in various scientific conferences in Italy and abroad.

To discover the research work of doctoral students and their publications, click here.

Conference proceedings
A collection of publications, published by Edizioni Junior, giving voice to the speeches that enlivened each conference held in the seven countries since the project was launched in Reggio Emilia in 2023.
Click on each city to read the publications:

• Reggio Emilia, November 2023
• Sao Paulo, August 2024
• Johannesburg, October 2024
• Denver, April 2025
• Nairobi, June 2025
• Hanoi, September 2025
• Billund, November 2025

3. The new Research Centre at Caffarri

Within the redeveloped spaces of the former Caffarri animal feed factory - a building with a long productive and industrial history located in the heart of Reggio Emilia's Santa Croce district - Fondazione Reggio Children is placing its research laboratories on quality education, solidarity, regeneration and creative learning.

After an important work of co-design for the realisation of the new layout, starting from the summer of 2024 the research projects of the Foundation have begun to inhabit the large redeveloped space: P.E.R. - Play Explore Research and scintillae-play and learning in the digital age, the PhD in Reggio Childhood Studies promoted with Desu-UNIMORE and Remida, the Creative Recycling Centre.

The new research centre has been designed with flexible furniture and fluid spaces, conceived to welcome visitors of all ages: children, families, educators, scholars, citizens and curious people will be able to experience different playful approaches to learning through workshops and ateliers.

Discover more here: A new layout to enhance research and dialogue