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Faculty of Education

Resistance stories: Telling and sharing stories about children’s right to play

Our research project is in partnership with the Froebel Trust  who are a charity that funds research into education and learning in the early years of childhood. In our project, we are looking at how educators enable children’s play through resisting more formal approaches to learning.

This project will seek to define and understand these ‘acts of resistance’ which have to date been under-researched in how they are enacted. From understanding how materials, time and space is made for children to play, this project aims to contribute to our knowledge of early childhood practices that are resistant to formalisation.

Find out more about this project
Why are we researching about the right to play?

In early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, children’s play is often marginalised. Such restrictions on play limit opportunities for crucial early experiences of being physically active, social and independent. One of the reasons behind this is the perception that more formal instruction is prioritised in early learning through education policies, assessment demands, and inspection procedures. Yet many ECEC professionals resist formalised approaches because they hold strong beliefs about children’s right to play and are actively seeking ways for play to flourish in schools and settings.

Research team

The project research team will collect and record stories from across the early years sector. The aim is to share these stories about how educators protect young children’s right to play to support and inspire others.

Dr Jo Albin-Clark

Edge Hill University

Dr Nathan Archer

Independent researcher

Find out more about this research

Take a read of the below resources to find out more about resistance and the right to play.