Participatory approaches to play research emphasise the active engagement of key stakeholders in all aspects of the research. Ranging from children, parents and educators to policy makers, the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK, actively engages with a variety of play research stakeholders. The current paper focuses on the ways PEDAL Centre involves children and teachers in its studies. It presents the key literature on participatory research, describes methods followed in the PEDAL Centre and shares insights from applying participatory approaches to play research with children and teachers.