Dr Amanda Gummer

Dr Amanda Gummer is a leading psychologist and expert on child development, famed as the Founder of FUNdamentally Children and Dr Gummer’s Good Play Guide. Passionate about giving children the best opportunities in life, Amanda has committed over two decades of her life to promoting the value of playing and positive parenting in a child’s development. Providing insight and advice to parents on their children, Amanda covers a wide variety of family-related issues when hired as a keynote speaker. Having been involved in parliamentary policy and inducted as a Member of The International Toy Research Association, don’t miss out on an informative speech on the importance of play from Dr Amanda Gummer.

After completing a PhD in Psychology at The University of Sheffield, Amanda began her career as an Associate Lecturer in Child Development for Open University. Building her now astute knowledge of child development, Amanda researched theories on behaviour, social development, abnormal development and play. In 2004, Amanda became the Founder of FUNdamentals, an organisation dedicated to the understanding of child development. She later became the Founder of the Good Toy Guide, a resource providing play ideas and information on the impact of different kinds of play in a child’s development, before the two companies merged to become FUNdamentally Children in 2014. Priding herself on being a hub of expertise, Amanda also shares her expertise as the UK Chapter Chair for Women in Toys and as a Member of the British Psychological Society and Play England.

In addition to her work with FUNdamentally Children, Amanda has also shared her expertise as the bestselling author of Play: Fun Ways To Help Your Children Develop In The First Five Years. She has also developed the Parent-Centred Parenting evidence-based model, and worked as a NED for Families in Focus CIC, a founding Member of the Children’s Activities Association and an Ambassador of Genius of Play. Highly sought after for her expert opinion and authority on child development, Amanda has also appeared in regional, national and international media – with an impressive media reach of over 4 billion!

Widely considered as the UK’s go-to expert on toys, play and development, Amanda is now frequently hired as a speaker for a range of corporate and industry events. Seen across the BBC and Sky News and in The Daily Mail, The Guardian, WIRED, The Sunday Times and HuffPost, it comes as no surprise that Amanda is trusted by organisations such as PepsiCo, Danone, McDonald’s, Children In Need and Asda to name but a few. Having helped over 100k parents find the perfect toys for their children, Amanda has spoken across the world, including for EU Parliament and ITRA World Congress. Don’t miss out on a speech from the media’s go-to expert on family issues and child development, Dr Amanda Gummer!