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Seenaryo

Unleashing the power of play in classrooms to develop the whole child

The Seenaryo Playkit is a phone app and training which allows teachers of 3 - 8 year olds to deliver their curriculum through play. It contains hundreds of games, songs and stories, all linked to curriculum topics. Originally developed for Syrian refugee settings, the Playkit has reached 4293 teachers and 97,454 children in Lebanon and Jordan, with funds to expand to Palestine this summer.

HundrED 2025
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2025

Web presence

2017

Established

97.5K

Children

3

Countries
Target group
Teachers
Updated
May 2024
By scaling the Playkit teacher app and training across the Arab world, and particularly in emergency and refugee settings, our aim is for the early years education ecosystem of teachers, schools and ministries to develop and implement a culture of play-based learning. This culture will transform the engagement and development of the whole child in school, allowing them to thrive later in life.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

In 2017 we ran a needs analysis in early years settings for refugees run by IRC, Caritas and Ana Aqra. We saw 5-year-olds sitting at desks copying from a board. We designed the Playkit as a cost-effective, child-centred and play-based solution to the low inclusivity and behaviour management issues we observed - issues faced across the region and backed up by government review (RACE, LCRP & JRP).

What does your innovation look like in practice?

The Playkit app gives teachers access to hundreds of classroom games, interactive stories, songs & classroom management ideas, all searchable by curriculum topic. The app hosts how-to videos, music tracks, printable flashcards and simple instructions - and all content is in Arabic & English. The Playkit is usually delivered with a 3-day, in-person training.

We aim to improve teacher's child-centred delivery, inclusivity & behaviour management, boosting their children's engagement in learning & life skills. We continually evaluate our impact; here are figures from 2023:

- 94% of teachers find it easier to include all children (47% found it a challenge before)
- 86% agree behaviour management is easier (66% found it a major challenge before)
- 92% of teachers use Seenaryo songs every day (only 51% used songs at all before)
- 86% agree children's learning has improved

"Mouaz was destructive at school and home... through engaging with these activities, he knows how to regulate"

How has it been spreading?

Our clients (many paying, some subsidised) are NGOs & agencies (e.g. UNRWA), public & private schools. The Playkit has been delivered to 4293 teachers in 420 schools, reaching 97,454 children.
During COVID-19, Terre Des Hommes, War Child & AVSI commissioned us to adapt the Playkit: we created video lessons for caregivers, delivered via WhatsApp. These reached 9,500 children, 93% of whom met Ministry milestones in an external evaluation.
The Playkit was one of 120 Expo 2020 Dubai Global Innovators (from 6000+ applicants), took part in Saving Brains 2021, an accelerator for early years interventions, was selected as a 2023 MIT Solve LEAP Project Host, and is currently partnered with UCL's Institute of Education on evaluation & endorsement. In summer 2024 we will run trainings in Palestine.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Visit www.seenaryoplaykit.org, or download the Seenaryo Playkit from the Apple or Google store. You can also email info@seenaryo.org, and follow our social media (@seenary0 on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn).

Impact & scalability

HundrED Academy Reviews

The innovation helps children, including those from underprivileged backgrounds, grow and find a safe environment to play. It's essential to child development, and the innovation is doing an excellent job for it.

Leveraging digital resources and in-app training, Seenaryo demonstrates scalability by providing accessible and adaptable teaching resources to educators. Its focus on utilizing existing infrastructure makes it suitable for widespread implementation.

- Academy member
Academy review results
Impact
Scalability
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Read more about our selection process

Implementation steps

3-day in-person Playkit training
A group of up to 30 teachers of children aged 3-8 years old takes an intensive, practical, in-person 3-day training led by two Seenaryo trainers. Each day is 5.5 hours; teachers are actively participating and practicing, not sitting and writing; teachers learn to adapt the Playkit to create their own activities; and trainings can be led in Arabic, English or French.
Access and induction to the Seenaryo Playkit app
The Playkit app is free to download & use, but every Playkit training ends with a thorough app induction to combat the digital divide for teachers with low digital literacy. All it requires is the teacher's personal phone (the only resource the teacher has reliable access to in many emergency settings); content is data-light & can be downloaded for offline access in case of poor internet connection. Teachers can use the app to plan classes, and in school for printing flashcards & playing songs.
Follow-up, troubleshooting & coaching
Where possible, six weeks after the training, Seenaryo trainers return to the school to deliver a day of follow-up troubleshooting (addressing teachers' challenges both in using the app and in implementing Playkit activities in their classrooms) and teacher coaching.

Spread of the innovation

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