THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN RELATION TO PLAY AS DETAILED IN THE ‘UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF

THE CHILD’

• The rights of children centre around the commonly accepted minimum set of needs, for

example housing or clean water, that a child needs to thrive and achieve a state of complete

physical, emotional and social well-being.

• These rights include:

• The right to life and the best chance to develop;

• The right to enjoy a decent standard of living;

• The right to enjoy a free education;

• The right to be as healthy as possible;

• The right to live in a safe, healthy, unpolluted environment and the right to safe, nutritious food and

water.

THESE RIGHTS INCLUDE:

• The right to life and the best chance to develop;

• The right to enjoy a decent standard of living;

• The right to enjoy a free education;

• The right to be as healthy as possible;

• The right to live in a safe, healthy, unpolluted environment

and the right to safe, nutritious food and water.

THE GOVERNMENT MUST PROTECT CHILDREN FROM:

•Doing work that could be dangerous or that could harm their

health;

•Doing work that interferes with their education;

•Dangerous drugs;

• Being abused or sold;

• Sexual abuse

•Children should be able to participate in decision s

made about their upbringing or care;

•There should be the appropriate provision of support

services for their healthy development;

•Children should be protected from exploitation and

abuse.

CHILDREN’S PLAY

• As soon as a child is conceived, they are on the path of development and

from birth through to adulthood, the various forms of play are essential for a

child’s development.

• Babies and children have an innate ability to play; a ‘play drive’ which needs

to be nurtured and developed.

PLAY IS:

• Freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behaviour that actively

engages the child;

• The main characteristic of play is its mode; an approach to action, not a form of activity;

• Play can be fun or serious. Through play children explore social,. Material and imaginary

worlds and their relationship with them, elaborating all the while a flexible range of

responses to the challenges they encounter. By playing, children learn and develop as

individuals, and as members of the community.

WHY IS PLAY NECESSARY FOR A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT?

• Through play, children are able to learn and practise the different cognitive and

motor skills that they require in adulthood;

• Play has a calming effect and can help a child develop the skills of focus and

concentration;

• Play enables children to learn skills from adults, their siblings and their peers;

• Through play, children develop an awareness of safety, negotiation and an ability to

adapt to their environment by recognising and overcoming problems.

• There is increasing eveidence that from an early age, play helps children develop

critical neural pathways that would otherwise remain unused. Therefore, play

enables children to use their brains to their full potential.

ADULT LED AND CHILD LED PLAY

• Play can be initiated by both the child and their adult carer. There needs to be a balance of

both.

• Adult initiated play needs to be carefully planned and take into account a child’s stage of

development and understanding.

• However, it is important that planned ‘learning’ activities are balanced with opportunities for

children to develop their own ideas or thoughts. This enables children to become more

confident, self regulated, motivated and independent and innovative thinkers.

• Play should spark a child’s imagination and curiosity and by providing exciting learning

opportunities for children they will grow into life-long learners.

• As I have said, it is important that children are also given the opportunity to initiate

play and perhaps extend a set activity with their own creativity and ideas.

• A good example of child initiated play could follow a specific trip to a farm of

other stimulating learning environment.

HOW A CHILD’S PLAY NEEDS CHANGE WITH THE STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT:

• 1 Year: Small objects being picked up, repetitive play and tuneful babbling;

• 18 Months: Interest in other children, sitting on and pushing off on ride on toys, an

enjoyment of pop-up and posting toys;

• 2 Years: Enjoyment of singing and dancing to music, running and climbing, playing

with building blocks and simple puzzles;

• 3 Years: Enjoying dressing up and playing with world toys, interest in other children

and some cooperative play, interest in mark making, painting and books, enjoyment

of sand and water play;

HOW A CHILD’S PLAY NEEDS CHANGE WITH THE STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT CONTINUED:

• 4 Years: Cooperative play, pretend play that models adult life, riding tricycles, climbing

and simple ball games, drawings that have meaning, threading, pouring and using scissors;

• 6 Years: Enjoyment of jokes, able to kick and control a ball, playing games with rules and

turn taking, more complex puzzles;

• 7 – 9 Years: Clear differences in play activities that interest girls and boys, stable

friendships, enjoyment of making up games, painting, drawing and making models

independently, ability to ride a bike on two wheels, wanting to call friends or inviting

friends to play;

• 10+ Years: Independent play, being allowed out with friends to local park, youth groups,

increased technology play (including computers, game consoles and tablets), drawings that

have meaning.

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH WHEN PLANNING PLAY ACTIVITIES.

It is important that adult carers meet the needs of individual children. All children

develop at different stages and it is important that children are given an opportunity

to progress at their own rate. Differentiation within activities is essential.

Activities have to be age appropriate and designed with extension activities to stretch

the child, although there should also be achievable targets set for the child, so that

they experience a sense of achievement. Activities that are too difficult can be

demoralising and give children a sense of failure and can lead to a reluctance to try

and challenge themselves.

Through an inclusive, differentiated approach, a child’s individual needs are met and

play and activities can focus on particular strengths and weaknesses. Again, it is

important that children experience encouragement as well as challenge, so that they

feel pushed, but are able to achieve clearly defined targets.