Are children being denied the right to play? When one looks back at childhood the memories of childhood games, toys and out door fun with their friends and siblings come flooding back. But todays children do not seem to have the same attitude at play as we did, so whats to blame, and who's fault is it?
Kids today are increasingly spending more and more time in solitude, watching TV or playing video games. While some argue that kids are getting smarter, are they loosing much needed social interaction? Playing forges independence, teaches kids how to share, helps develop identity and their voice. By interacting with other children, a child also learns to appreciate the differences The more children a child interacts with, the more ethnicities, personality types, and social backgrounds, a child is exposed to, and this can help children to become more open minded and tolerable. Of course the setting for a child's behavior begins at home, but most of life's lessons are learned outside…on the playground.
In a UK report last year, experts warned that children are ‘forgetting how to play’ , and we are allowing children to be too structured, or isolated, in their activities. The report stated that:
“‘Regimented play activities can have negative consequences on the social and emotional development of a child because they are too organised and take away a child's initiative and freedom of choice.”
In Northern Ireland, Playboard, has incited a mobile play project, to encourage children to rediscover outdoor playing. Projects like this are gravely needed across the world, especially the developing world, where children's TV time is increasing. TV's in households are increasing, as many TVs are now found in the bedrooms of children under 10, and TV is now becoming the most common use of a distraction technique, replacing the old…”go out and play”.
All children have the right to play, and this should be seen as an essential part of all children's childhood's. In the developing world children so often are denied play, as they are thrust into adult roles, at much younger ages. Children face early marriages, child labor, life in conflict zones, poverty, and other factors that limit their ability to play. The organization Right to Play is working to use play as not only a method to allow children the right to be children, and just play, but also as a tool for education. Peace and conflict resolution, health awareness, disease prevention, community development, literacy and basic education, are all part of the program at Right to Play. Play and sport, not only foster healthy and independent children, but assist in improving all aspects of children's rights.
In a society with an ever growing obesity rate and a growing world isolation, we need children to not only gain from the physical aspects of play, but the social and mental benefits. When children benefit, we all benefit! As a society we need to encourage children to get out and play, to come home with a few scraped knees, develop relationships and just learn how to be a kid. Maybe if our children are allowed to be children a little longer, they will learn the value of freedom.
Uyghur Kids Playing
Photo by Mehmud Abliz
Links:
International Play Association
The American Association for the Child's Right to Play
Right to Play
UN – "RIGHT TO PLAY BELONGS TO EVERYONE'
