Article 31 of the UN – convention of the rights of the child, state that ‘every child has the right to rest and leisure’ to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child…’ discus with reference to your reading and teaching experience.
This essay aims to address some problematic issues relating to play in the primary school. The problems faced with play in schools and the argument whether children learn better through play. Starting with playground improvement I will asses the structure of how primary schools in England provide and encourage play opportunities for children. I will make reference to relevant literature in this field, which draws attention to problems of play in the primary sector, what is play? In discussion I will explain areas of children’s development and improvement in play. Finally, drawing on my own experiences on providing structured play activities successfully in my school. I shall show the difference between how play and structure makes a distinction for school improvement in behaviour.
I will ague that playground improvement needs to be more learner-focused. And those primary schools should pay more attention to children’s engagement in learning through play.
Looking also at the global concern, do children in other developing countries have the same privileges and luxuries in free flow play as children do in developed counties?
Play is central to the growth and development of the child it is recognised as a basic human right for all children. Article 31 – UN convention is addressed to all countries stated by the UN that all children around the world ‘have the right to play and rest’. According to this article all countries all positively received and acknowledged the significance of this convention.
The purpose of article 31 is to bring about change and to protect children who are vulnerable and have no say (Garrick, 2004: p. 4, 5). In some developing counties children are most vulnerable to exploitation and are forced to live a life that is abusive and offensive to them.
History in England shows us that children were also used and unfairly treated as slave labour. Some children worked in mines and factories. Dr Thomas Barnardo and Lord Shaflesbury helped to revolutionise the protection and fairness of children in England it was not until 1880 that education for children (ages 5-11) was made compulsory. The UN convention article 31 aims to make child abuse history and to give all children around the world a safe haven and a chance to experience play.
Play has different meanings to people, for some children; play simply means to have fun. I randomly asked 10 children and a teacher at the Primary school in which I work, ‘what does play mean to you’? Without any hesitation all these children right away said Play means fun! The teacher tried to give me an intellectual answer but gave up in the end and also said play means fun to her. Wood and Attfield (1996 p. 1, 2) write “Play can be regarded as deeply serious and purposeful or trivial and purposeless. It can be characterized by high levels of motivation, creativity and learning, or it can be relegated to little more than just messing about”. Play is purposeful. There are no limits in play. For children play is spontaneous, it is as far as the eye can see; only the child is who controls what direction their imagination will take them. For a child, assuming that it is reasonable, can perform play in any environment or weather conditions whether it is in the sun, the rain or the snow. Play can be created from nothing that children bring in to existence through their imagination.
The importance of play is that children of all ages have the freedom to develop and learn freely appropriately to their level of learning. The requirements of play are to meet all aspects of children’s need. Parry and Archer (1974) State that there are two forms of play. One is the recreational and leisure aspect and keeps children occupied.
The second focuses on the learning and the educational development aspect. I agree with Parry and Archer there is a time of recreational play and a time of learning but learning through play. Matterson (1965, 1975: p. 13) argues that a ‘good teacher’ can make learning for children fun and enjoyable. Teachers who can adapt to this style of teaching achieve the involvement of all children in learning rather than restrict children to an adult-determined framework. One of the mistakes within the curriculum is the divided boundary between Play and Work/Learning. My observations of the National Curriculum in Primary schools has shown me that learning has become a form of how to teach for tests instead of combining play and learning together and this result’s in a different approach to how children can learn (Hall and Abbott 1991: p. 9). However Tyler (1984) has argued that the learning, which occurs in children’s play can be assessed in various ways.
Countries such as Switzerland and Scandinavia children have the privilege to play and use heavy materials such as building with wood, laying bricks and using tools, hammers, nails and saws.
Many children explore by travelling freely on their bicycles, children in Switzerland can cycle to school, and these are some ways in which they learn by exploring. When I was a boy I remember the adrenaline rush I felt the furthest I went from home, as I rode on my bicyclical. Today parents are too afraid for their children’s safety and so this limits how far children can explore. In Briton children are limited to how far they can explore and are restricted to where they can go and how far.
Matterson (1965, 1975: p. 31) asserts,” each stage (in the play progress) is important as it leads on to the next”. Children learn in stages through play. They begin by exploring though curiosity and learn by their findings mostly through Free Flow Play. Play does contribute to children’s development and to see how we can understand children’s learning through development in play, in my previous experience as a play worker I shall use the social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional (SPICE model) to explain what areas children develop in play. Firstly social, this deals with learning through relationship roles, sharing and respecting others. Secondly physical, Children are eager to be physically active in play they thirst for satisfactions in play. Children learn to use co-ordination, strength, and manipulation and fine motor skills mostly performed in sport and P.E. Thirdly, Intelligence, in working out answers e.g. speed, quantity, balance and concepts. Fourth, creativity, making things and the use of imagination. Fifth emotional, ability to respond to feelings (Jenkinson, 2004: p.155
Matterson (1965, 1975: p. 11, 12) talks about the every day living necessities a baby needs whilst growing up such as food, clothing, sleep, love… and also the opportunity for a child to experience play. Matterson continues to say that there are areas within a child that may lack in development if deprived of such needs such as food and love. And so it is possible that a child may not fully develop if not endowed with suitable necessities for growth and development, the same will be for a child who is deprived from a free and social environment of play. As we have seen from Matterson (1965, 1975: p. 11, 12) a child cannot fully develop their potential with out a chance to play.
Problems mostly happen at Lunchtime play (Garrick, 2004: p. 3). The Lack of space or length of play is not the cause of difficult behaviour and problems in the playground (Blatchford, 1989: p. 6, 7). In some school playgrounds there is no authoritative supervision like there is in the classroom, the playground has no form of rules, activities or play structure. This is how problems arise. Bullying, fighting or boredom occurs in the playground because there is no playground structure and poor supervision without any adequate training provided for staff. (Blatchford, 1989: p. 24).
Being able to tell if children are fighting or if it is rough and tumble play is important for supervising children’s play. I saw two children, ages of 9, rolling and scuffling in wood chips from a recent cut down tree, I immediately perceived by their actions that they were playing without intention of harming each other, however wood chips were all over them, their school uniform was a mess, if their parents had seen them thy would have been furious. Some teachers, from my experience, would have not understood the situation and immediately tell those children to stop. This is what play is all about the development of the child/ren. Teachers and support staff should be trained on how to perceive such situations in both ways.
Figure 1 drawing of a playground.
This drawing (www.rizzigallery.com/RM/allrizzis/index.htm) is a vivid description of a primary school playground in England, cramped and not much space. The picture illustrates that no matter how small a playground is good use can still be made of its space. However children do still need that broad space to adventure into. To a bystander this may not look to be structured, it may look like children running wild, but if you look closely you will fined it is well-structured and children are playing co-operatively.
Children need supervision and play well whilst supervised. A baby cub is not yet ready to live alone; he follows and is guided by his parent. Likewise, adults and parents are there to lead children until that child grows and learns how to cope with particular issues. Matterson’s (1965, 1975: p. 11, 12) example that children are not yet at maturity level shows that adult supervision and guidance are there to help children to develop structure and maturity in there lives. However, as children feel safe and a secure environment is planed for them, I have noticed this in my own experience, children begin play constructively together and co-operatively.
Sadly, many of our schools in Britain do not fully facilitate play environments and recourses that are beneficial for children in their stages of development (Garrick 2004: p. 2). Recourses and play equipment are very important for children to play with at Lunchtime. Some schools prohibit equipment at Lunchtimes because of fears that children misuse the equipment inadequately, either they would be used as weapons or the equipment would get lost and kicked over playground walls.
In conclusion, schools need to pay close attention to the structure and improvement in the playground. For schools to become successful for improving a play environment teachers must make an effort to provided clubs and activities, remembering that children are the main focus. A first step to improve play in the playground is to look at what can be done. Setting aside a budget that will provide play equipment. Lack of supervision is a main concern in the playground. Having trained staff to monitor behaviour and set up games for children with a system of rules that children abide by in the playground (Blatchford 1989: p. 135).
At Lunchtimes my school has been successful in the playground. I have set up a system of activities that each year group can participate in a weekly and annual basis’s. This could not have been possible with out using a creative approach and the support of a visionary head teacher. The head commented on the improved playground in my school, he side, “the playground and activities are a success and have been transformed into a hive for playing. Children’s behaviour has made such progress and records in the playtime incident book are at an all time low”. Because of the effectiveness of its structure my head employed two extra Play Leaders at Lunchtime. A healthy play environment is one that involves staff playing with children.
Finally, coming back to the question. Play is a right that children need. No child should be deprived of there right to play. If schools and the LEAs (Local Educational Authority) do not focus enough on play within schools I would raise this as a cause for concern. In school play and outer school play should be regularly monitored. In further research I would like to see advanced levels of play introduced into secondary schools.