This is a guide to help grown-ups share silliness, laughter and fun with kids, benefiting the kids, the adults themselves and, ultimately, society at large. In a world of technology, product marketing and unending messaging aimed at adults and kids, there is a need to liberate the imagination, re-sow the seeds of creativity … and start a Real Play revolution! Real Play needs no expertise or qualifications and no equipment beyond what can be found about the house – all it does need is a genuine interaction between grown-ups and children.

Offering the techniques and play ideas developed by Ash Perrin through his work at the Flying Seagulls Project in an accessible, engaging and fun way to a wide audience of ordinary parents and childcare professionals, this book also makes a passionate case for the importance of play in children’s lives. The Real Play Revolution is a treasure trove of fantastic, unexpected and effective play ideas, from step-by-step activities such as Kids Comedy Corner (all about telling jokes together as a family), Home-Made TV (make your own TV, then watch it!) and Circus Skills Workshop (hoola-hoop, juggling balls, spinning plates, etc) to quick fixes for cheering everyone up, such as the One Minute Madness Miracle (the first one to get nowhere wins), and defeating a bad mood – whether a child’s or a grown-up’s – with the Turkey Head Grump Crown (who can carrying on feeling annoyed with a turkey on their head?). All suggestions can be adapted to work with any numbers from one child to a whole classroom. Fun line drawings clarify step-by-steps and add to the book’s appealing design.