Children's Right to Play: An Examination of the Importance of Play in the Lives of Children Worldwide

"Traditional perspectives have justified play as linked to education and development, seen it as a part of the movement to eliminate child labour, or promoted its therapeutic value in crisis situations. This paper encompasses these traditional perspectives, but also sets out a broader and more far-reaching understanding of play..."

The authors of this publication argue that play is fundamental to the health and well-being of children, and that state signatories to United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) - as well as adults more generally - should recognise, respect, and promote play as a right. In the paper, Russell and Lester examine understandings of the nature and value of play, explore intersections between the UNCRC and play (e.g., protection rights, participation rights, and provision rights) and argue that both state signatories to the UNCRC (Article 31 of which enshrines the right to play) and adults generally should take seriously the importance of providing suitable conditions for children to play. The report was commissioned by the International Play Association as a part of their campaign for the UNCRC to publish a General Comment on Article 31. The publication was funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF).

Following an introduction, readers may learn about some of the immediate benefits of play, which include: providing important physical exercise that develops endurance, control of body movements, and perceptual-motor integration; testing aspects of the environment to deduce their value; establishing social roles and alliances that may contribute to current survival; and enhancing psychological and physiological well-being and resilience. "The central adaptive value of play appears to rest with calibrating emotional processes to the unexpected events that are introduced during play. The ability to regulate emotional responses to disturbance, and to reduce stress levels, enhances the ability to cope with uncertainty and allows for the development of other skills (motor, cognitive and social)..."

Chapter 3 explores the concept of play as self-protection. "Play requires players to know that what they are engaging in is not real. Children achieve this by establishing conventions, expectations, rules and so on to keep them safe. These rituals and cultural expressions, by necessity, are often routine, predictable and repetitive; children will initiate play using established conventions....Playing with others requires constant maintenance, reading and differentiating the intentions of others and adjusting behaviour in response. It is evident that these interrelated components enhance children's repertoire of social, emotional and cognitive abilities..."

Chapter 4 asserts that children's play represents a primary form of engagement in everyday life and, as such, is consistent with the CRC articles of participation. As described here, research on children's special spaces identifies several attributes that children prize highly: they are co-constructed by children themselves; they are safe and imbued with a feeling of calmness and a chance to escape; they are secretive (children can hide and not be seen), while at the same time see others; they are un-managed and often have an untidy appearance; they are often on the boundary; and they involve the actual or imagined adaptation of space.

The final chapter examines the provision of conditions for play to take place - with a focus on advocacy. Key points here include the recommendation that adults work at all levels, from local practices to international law, to ensure that: play is recognised as fundamental to children's survival, well-being, health and development; all children have time, space, and licence to play; toxic stressors (e.g., neighbourhoods that are environmentally toxic or spaces of oppression and imprisonment) are identified and action taken to reduce these stressors and also to enable children to develop resilience to them through play; and proactive and collaborative action is taken at policymaking and community levels to develop and maintain local environments that support play.

Editor's note, December 2012: According to the authors, the International Play Association's campaign was successful, and work has been undertaken to draft the General Comment, which is now with the Committee and is expected to be published early in 2013. For more information, click here.