Better Start Bradford

Better Start Bradford was a programme (now closed) dedicated to giving children in Bradford the best possible start in life. Through a range of community-driven initiatives, they supported families and professionals to enhance early childhood development, ensuring a brighter future for young children.

As part of Baby Week Bradford, they invited Joy Junction to deliver an interactive session exploring the role of play in the workplace, helping attendees unlock creativity, connection, and joy at work.

The session aimed to challenge traditional workplace norms by reintroducing play as a tool for wellbeing, collaboration, and innovation. Many professionals, especially those in care and early years settings, dedicate their energy to fostering play for others but often neglect its benefits in their own working lives.

The session objectives were to:

• Introduce the Me, We, and Us model to explore play at different levels—individual, team, and organisational.
• Provide practical, low-effort strategies for integrating play into daily work routines.

Encourage participants to set a personal playful goal to implement over the next four weeks.

To ensure an engaging and memorable experience, the session was designed to be hands-on and interactive.

• Exploring Play through the ‘Me, We, and Us’ Model – Participants worked in pairs and groups to reflect on what play meant to them as individuals (Me), how it could strengthen team connections (We), and how it could be embedded into workplace culture (Us).
• Practical Playful Strategies – The session introduced a range of simple ways to incorporate play at work, such as:
  
  • Me: Five-minute doodles, personal desk items that spark joy, and capturing moments of play through photos.
  • We: Creating shared playlists, daily trivia challenges, and team treasure hunts to spark connection.
  • Us: Organisational initiatives like show-and-tell sessions, community coffee, and charity challenges.

Goal-Setting for Play – Attendees identified one small action they could take to be more playful at work over the next four weeks. They then partnered with a colleague to hold each other accountable, following up the next day and again after four weeks.

The session had a positive and immediate impact on attendees, who left feeling inspired and equipped with practical ways to bring more joy into their workplaces.

• Increased awareness – Participants reflected on their own relationship with play and recognised its benefits for wellbeing, connection, and productivity.
• Practical application – Attendees left with tangible, low-effort ideas they could implement straight away.
• Commitment to change – Each participant set a personal goal and committed to following up with a peer to keep the momentum going.

The Hooray for Play! session reinforced that play is not just for children, it’s an essential ingredient for a joyful and productive workplace.

We had a fantastic time working with Gary on the Hooray for Play! session. His energy and enthusiasm made it an engaging and insightful experience. Attendees left inspired with practical ways to bring more joy into their work, and we’re sure they’ll take a lot away from it!

Michelle Thompson, Communications Manager at Better Start Bradford