Caroline Essame

Caroline Essame is a British occupational therapist and creative arts therapist with a master’s degree in education specialising in play-based learning. Based in Singapore, she has worked for over 35 years in creativity, play and human development across health, welfare and education services in countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the UK, the Philippines, India and Bangladesh. She is the founder and CEO of CreateCATT, and the pioneer of the CreateCATT Developmental Play approach, working with preschool and school-aged children with special needs and teaching at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Essame is an award‑winning international trainer and author whose work focuses on how play, nature, nurture and creativity support children’s learning and wellbeing. In addition to Why Nature Matters: Supporting Children’s Learning and Wellbeing Through Nature, she has written on developmental play and arts-based approaches to child development, including the resource Developmental Play – Why Arts and Play Matter in Early Childhood and related CreateCATT training materials. She also serves as a consultant to Deepti Special School in Kerala, India, and has been recognised as a Playfutures Explorer for the LEGO Foundation.