A child of 20 years ago will have fond memories of playing outside with friends, going on long bike rides, with the only rule being ‘be home before it gets dark’. A child today has a mobile phone in case they stray from their parents’ view and play is done indoors, on a computer, on their own. So, when – and more importantly, why – did children’s freedom to play disappear?

Play is a serious issue. In its Play Strategy, published in December 2008, the government set out its ambition to make this “the best country in the world for children to grow up”. Backed by an investment of £235m in new playgrounds and support for play in communities, the strategy seems to be putting play back at the heart of children’s physical, emotional, educational and social development.

But why does simple playing need to be the subject of a ‘strategy’? Why has it become so difficult for our children to do what should come so naturally?

These and many other questions were the focus of the second Early Years Annual Conference at Edge Hill, which took place in May. Based around the theme of ‘playfulness’, the conference explored the significance of play – and the lack of it – for both children and adults.

“The idea came from the poet, Peter Dixon, who spoke at our first conference,” says Jo Albin-Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Early Years (EY) and conference organiser. “In one of his poems, he says ‘let our children be’, and that really struck a chord with many EY practitioners. So, this year, we decided to make play the focus of our conference as it is central to so much of what we do as teachers, carers and supporters of the children’s workforce.

“We chose ‘playfulness’, rather than ‘play’ as our theme because we wanted people to think about the subject in a different way,” explains Jo. “During our practical sessions, we had delegates playing in the woods behind Edge Hill, for example. It’s all about playing with your thinking, pushing boundaries and rediscovering your own playful nature as an adult. That will then, hopefully, impact on the way we use play with children as EY practitioners.”

As well as Edge Hill Chancellor, Professor Tanya Byron, the conference heard from leading childhood expert, Tim Gill, whose book, No Fear: Growing up in a Risk Adverse Society, prompted much debate when it was first published in 2007. In the book, Tim warns of the dangers of “wrapping children in cotton wool” and claims lack of play is detrimental to their health and wellbeing.

 “Children’s lives have become increasingly controlled and overseen by adults at home, school and in the community,” says Tim, “and this is severely restricting their everyday experiences and discoveries.

“Children are not being given the freedom to learn through living, which sometimes involves making mistakes, scraping your knees and falling out with other children. Unsupervised play is essential for children to develop life skills. You cannot expect children to grow up into healthy, resilient, responsible adults if they are brought up in isolation, unable to make mistakes and learn from them.”

Tim believes there are a number of factors that have contributed to the current restriction on childhood freedom. The increase in traffic over the last 30 years is a major problem, not just because of the danger of being run over but also due to the amount of time children spend in cars.

“Walking to school used to be the norm,” says Tim, “but a recent survey showed that the number dropped from 80% in 1971 to just 11% in 1990. This is partly due to the fear of ‘bad things happening’ if children walk to school on their own, but also a sign of the way modern life is changing. Children often get dropped at school on the parent’s way to work.

“Aside from the obesity issue, children don’t learn road safety skills from walking to school so their parents are then more anxious about them walking. It’s a vicious circle.”
The media must also shoulder some of the responsibility, according to Tim. Sensationalist reporting of crimes against children increases parents’ fears and suggests that these incidents are more common than they are.

“Parental anxiety has grown in recent years despite there being no real increase in the number of crimes committed. The media seems to present a world where there is a paedophile on every street corner waiting to snatch children who are out on their own. In reality, child abductions by strangers are very rare; the sad truth is children are far more likely to be abused, or have major accidents, in their own homes.”

So, what can be done to change attitudes towards children and allow them space to learn through play again?

“First, we have to recognise the seriousness of the problem,” says Tim. “We are in danger of creating a generation of children who are overweight, lacking in social skills and unable to take responsibility for their own actions.

“Change has to come from the top, with more child-friendly policies and an emphasis on supporting children in their development rather than just ‘protecting’ them. We need to stop viewing children as vulnerable or they will come to see themselves as victims.

“We need to improve play and recreational spaces and empower people who work with children to take risks without fear of litigation. We need to make our neighbourhoods and communities more child-friendly. We need to support parents so they feel able to give their children back some of the freedoms that they enjoyed when they were young.

“Perhaps most important of all, we need to accept that it is natural and healthy for children to explore, take risks, make mistakes, seek out adventure and test boundaries, and encourage them to do that.”

To play or not to play

E42 asked four academics to discuss the importance of play – or the lack of it – using their field of expertise.

Paul Reynolds
Reader in Sociology and Social Philosophy

Sociologists see play not as a marginal activity between the more serious domains of work, home life or education, but a crucial avenue of socialisation and learning of social norms, rules and values.

Playing games inculcates within the player the need to operate within social rules and respect cultural conventions. In short, playing promotes our co-operative living in society – we learn to ‘play the game’.

Some of this learning is controversial in what impact it has on children. For example, there was a lively debate in the 1960s and 1970s around the way competitive games often promoted individualism over social obligations and so loosened bonds of social solidarity. Those who took that view would argue the individualism and disdain for welfare and those in need displayed in the 1980s and 1990s was, in part, a result of what young adults learned through play about putting themselves first and winning at games.

The other sociological view of play is that it encourages conformity and provides an outlet for energy that might be focused better on addressing social inequalities and ills.

Judith Ashley
Senior Lecturer in Public Health

The obesity issue is a complex one. However, people are getting fatter almost everywhere in the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700m of them will be obese.

The spread of childhood obesity is alarming experts. Recent figures from the Department of Health (DH) show that 15% of children aged 2–10 were obese in 2007.
One of the major problems, according to The National Obesity Forum, is an increase in leisure activities that are physically inactive and often socially isolating.

In 1994, 46% of children played school sports for more than two hours per week, but by 2004, this had fallen to 33%. Watching TV is now the most popular ‘play’ activity for children of all ages, with over a quarter of 11–16 year olds watching more than four hours a day.
The health consequences of childhood obesity include conditions such as type two diabetes, hypertension, cardiac problems, sleep apnoea and, ultimately, a shorter life expectancy. Psychologically, obese children may experience bullying and may suffer from low self-esteem and depression.

In January 2009 the DH launched its £75m Change 4 Life initiative, which aims to improve children’s diets and levels of activity. It will be interesting to see if that has an impact on the UK’s rising childhood obesity levels.

Dr Liz Connors
Senior Lecturer in Psychology

An assumption widely held by psychologists has been that play must serve some important developmental function. Trying to establish the exact functions and benefits of play have, therefore, preoccupied play researchers. One prime developmental function is that it allows children opportunities to practise skills and roles they are likely to encounter in adulthood.

As a developmental psychologist, I have a keen interest in understanding how children develop the ability to deal with risk and adversity in their everyday lives and what makes children resilient to risk. I believe that children’s play experiences, particularly physical play, have an important role.

By allowing children to develop the essential qualities of resilience, such as competence, self-efficacy and self-esteem we can prepare them for later difficulties and challenges they may encounter in life. Recent research suggests that the risky and challenging situations that children might encounter through playing outdoors can provide excellent opportunities for the development of resilience.

Studies have shown that, from a very young age, children gain great satisfaction from testing themselves in risky and challenging physical activities which, when successfully negotiated, cultivate an ‘I can do it’ attitude. However, such activities tend to be discouraged by parents – especially in girls. The longer-term benefits of challenging or ‘risky’ play need to be balanced against parents’ natural desire to protect their children.

Graham Smith
Associate Head of Physical Exercise and Coaching

Play is what children, not adults, do best. They like ‘big’ activities – running, jumping, climbing and shouting – that are not usually ‘accepted’ in normal school environments. Some schools have banned children from playing conkers, riding bicycles, splashing water and making daisy chains.

Playing games is primarily about fun but it can help children acquire gross and fine motor skills, develop communication with others, increase self-reliance and responsibility, enhance self-esteem through problem-solving and engender a desire for lifelong participation in physical activity.

Much contemporary debate concerning child play is not really about children – it is about adults who seem to assume that playgrounds and parks belong to them and that children must behave in an ‘adult’ way when playing there. As a result, play opportunities are gradually being eroded, with children’s lives becoming regimented to comply with adult time scales, transport schedules and expected behaviour traits. The safest option seems to be home computer play in preference to healthy exercise and fresh air.

It is true that children who have an active childhood are more likely to be physically active adults and a reluctance to encourage children’s engagement may subliminally permeate a sense of ambivalence towards play and healthy lifestyle choices.