Play Wales paper examines the role of play in society

Play Wales, the national body for play, has published a new paper highlighting some of its latest research findings into the role of play in society.

Playing and being well: A review of recent research into children’s play, social policy and practice, with a focus on Wales is the title for a literature review produced by the organisation.

It is based mainly on academic research across various disciplines, including biology, evolutionary and education-based studies, along with professional, advocacy and practitioner literature.

The briefing includes the background and scope of the literature review; recent developments in childhood and play research; policy developments; how play contributes to wellbeing; and the current state of children’s play.

Play Wales says it proposes a ‘relational capability approach’ as a new framework for thinking about children’s play and wellbeing. The briefing paper is not intended as a comprehensive summary of findings from the review, which itself will be published in summary over the summer and in full later this year.

The briefing has been written by Wendy Russell, Mike Barclay and Ben Tawil, who were commissioned by Play Wales.

Click here for the briefing from the Play Wales website. (in PDF format