The Play Journal · Aug 2026

Ideas, research and rituals.

Name: Better Us
Author: Dale Sidebottom

Practical articles for schools, families and leaders, filterable by category, all rooted in play. New post every Monday.

Featured this week

FeaturedAug 2026Schools · 8 min

What 600 Schools in 25 Countries Taught Me About Student Wellbeing

Ten years. Six hundred schools. Twenty-five countries. Every single one cared deeply about wellbeing, and every single one was getting it wrong the same way. Here is the crack I kept seeing, and the data that finally proved the fix.

What 600 Schools in 25 Countries Taught Me About Student Wellbeing

23 more articles.

Less Punishment. More Play. Better Behaviour.

5 Trust-Building Activities Every Team Can Use Tomorrow

How to Go From Overwhelm to Flow (it starts smaller than you think)

Movement, Memory and Monday Morning Magic

Why student curiosity drops to 49%, and what to do about it

The case for unstructured time, the most underrated wellbeing tool

What high-performing teams have in common: they play

Why play belongs in every wellbeing strategy

The PEGG framework, explained for parents

The assembly that changed our school culture

Leading without a script: why play makes better executives

When leaders play, teams trust faster

How to survive the after-school hour

Five gratitude rituals you can run tomorrow

How play heals a family in conflict

How La Trobe measured 28% wellbeing growth

The research case for laughter in learning

Brain breaks that actually reset a classroom

Replacing screen-time arguments with play streaks

Five minutes is enough: the micro-ritual that transforms staff culture

Coaching with the GROWTH model: a leader's walkthrough

Why play is not the opposite of work

How student leaders shape culture more than adults

One play idea every Monday.