We’re pumped to play Dungeons & Dragons with children at OSHC! We currently have two educators who are experienced Dungeon Masters and a number of children who are interested in playing too.

We also believe in providing safe experiences for children at OSHC. This is evident in our continued successful operation of the service and meeting the requirements of the National Quality Framework for School Age Care. 

To ensure that our high standards continue, we created a proposal to our school’s governing council to consider so that we can make the most of playing D&D at the V, while also respecting the values of families in our community.

What is Dungeons & Dragons? 

D&D is simply an interactive story telling table top game. D&D is like a board game, but without the board. It involves a Dungeon Master who guides players through an adventure, where they navigate the twists and turns of a narrative by making group decisions and rolling polyhedron dice. 

At its heart D&D is a fantasy fiction role playing game, but the game play and structure can be applied to any genre of story telling. For example Zoe, OSHC educator and Dungeon Master, was recently a roller in a Harry Potter themed campaign.  

There are D&D programmes that operate from OSHC services, schools, libraries, clubs and other community based places, for children as well as adults. D&D is commonly accepted as an excellent activity for children and young people. You can learn more about it all by checking out the following links.

D&D: https://dnd.wizards.com/what-is-dnd

Young Minds Inspired: https://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/dd/

Studio 20 Youth Centre Aldinga facilitate regular D&D campaigns for young people aged from 8 through 25 years: https://www.onkaparingacity.com/Arts-events-tourism/Events-directory/Onkaparinga-Youth-Slice-N-Dice-Term-1-2023-Studio-20

Base 10 Youth Centre in Old Reynella also facilitate D&D campaigns, run by a Youth Worker from Uniting SA, for teenagers (only because that’s their target age range): https://www.onkaparingacity.com/Arts-events-tourism/Events-directory/Onkaparinga-Youth-Dungeons-Dragons-Base-10 

Base 10 also host Spectrum Writing, who among other things, facilitate D&D campaigns for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They refer to it as, ASD&D! https://www.spectrumwriting.com.au/  

There are a lot of fantastic D&D resources available at libraries, bookstores and games shops, including a series for younger players. We’re hoping to purchase the following resources to use as a basis for creating characters and exploring D&D worlds: https://gametradersseaford.com.au/products/d-d-the-young-adventurers-collection?_pos=10&_sid=11e95fac2&_ss=r

Why play Dungeons and Dragons in Out of School Hours Care?

Children at our service already enjoy imaginative play and board games and many have shared that they wish to play role playing games (RPG) on our devices and Nintendo Switch. That’s bit of a challenge.. Playing D&D is an extension on these themes without the need for screens. The skills that are acquired through learning to play D&D are extensive, including outcomes that we feel strongly about at OSHC- resilience, persistence, and critical thinking. 

Playing D&D at OSHC can have many benefits for children, some of which align with the outcomes outlined in the My Time Our Place learning framework.

• Improving social skills: D&D requires cooperation, communication, and collaboration, helping children develop social skills and learn how to work in a team. This aligns with the "Children have a strong sense of identity" outcome, as playing D&D can help children develop their social and emotional skills and build their self-esteem. 

• An extension on the previous point and as per the Aldinga Library and Studio 20 Youth Centre, D&D provides social opportunities for young people who may not identify with traditional and popular peer groups. Learning to play D&D can help connect children with others and assist them to develop their social and emotional skills and self esteem. This specifically aligns with the “Children learn to interact in relation with others with care, empathy and respect” outcome, and can be evident when they are comfortable with their peer group and are capable of relating to others within it. 

• Boosting imagination and creativity: D&D provides a rich imaginative world for children to explore and create their own stories, allowing them to use their imagination and creativity. This aligns with the "Children are confident and involved learners" outcome, as playing D&D can help children develop their imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

• Enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills: D&D requires players to make decisions and solve problems, helping children develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This aligns with the "Children are effective communicators" outcome, as playing D&D can help children improve their critical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills.

• Improving confidence and self-esteem: Children may develop confidence and self-esteem as they play their chosen roles and become comfortable with expressing themselves in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. This aligns with the "Children are confident and involved learners" outcome, as playing D&D can help children develop their confidence, self-esteem, and social skills.

• Encouraging storytelling, literacy and numeracy skills: D&D involves a lot of storytelling, and playing the game can help children develop their storytelling skills and improve their literacy skills. This aligns with the "Children are effective communicators" outcome, as playing D&D can help children improve their storytelling and literacy skills, and develop their communication and language skills.

• Overall, playing D&D in OSHC can provide a fun and engaging way for children to develop various skills and explore their creativity, aligning with several outcomes in the "My Time Our Place" framework.

Are there any risks for children involved in playing Dungeons and Dragons? 

While playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) can have many benefits for children, there are also some potential risks involved. Some of the risks associated with primary school age children playing D&D include:

• The content: D&D involves elements of fantasy fiction and imagination, which can sometimes include themes that may be inappropriate for younger children. These themes can range from dragons to goblins, adventure, good vs evil etc. 

How we propose to mitigate these risks:

• Age requirement, we propose Year 4 and above. 

• PG rating, similar content to PG rated films. 

• Young Adventurers Collection resources to help inform content.

• An educator will facilitate D&D games, likely in an exclusive space such as the OSHC room, SAKG classroom, or Main Building common space.

• Planned rather than spontaneous D&D events. 

• Transparency- educators, leaders and families are welcome to observe. 

• Blog and podcast- share the adventures! 

• Participation forms- parental permission.

• D&D play is encouraged as an OSHC activity only and is not appropriate for play during school hours.

You want to join us too, don’t you?!

If you have any comments, concerns or feedback, please feed them back to us at the OSHC office via email, phone or in person.

From the OSHC team, written by Aaron