The importance of play to children’s learning, development and physical activity is regularly cited as a reason to provide more opportunities for it. Adrian Voce suggests it may be even more fundamental than that, and...Read more
The Scottish Parliament has debated the country’s first Play Charter, developed and promoted by Play Scotland, the national play charity. Adrian Voce reports.
A motion to support Scotland’s first Play Charter, developed by Play Scotland, was...Read more
A key challenge for the child-friendly city is how to develop land for housing in a way that also creates and maintains the green and open spaces that are so necessary for children’s play, and...Read more
The concept of the ‘playable city’ is essentially a simple one: join up the places that children want to access, with safe, attractive pathways animated with playful affordances – and design this network with the fullest engagement of the children...Read more
In this article, the German-based, British researcher, Ellen Weaver highlights the marked differences in the degree of freedom – to play outside and to travel independently – afforded to British children compared to their German counterparts....Read more
Traffic continues to be the major practical barrier to children’s freedom to roam and enjoy the public spaces of their neighbourhoods, towns and cities. In this, the first of a three-part article, Adrian Voce considers...Read more
A new book published by the Alliance for Childhood documents the steady rise of the free play movement in North America
Projects, initiatives and advocacy for children’s play is on the rise across the North American...Read more
Public parks in the UK are at risk of falling into neglect and disrepair – and their children’s playgrounds dismantled – as funding to maintain them comes under increasing pressure, according to a new report by a Parliamentary...Read more
A new study of German school students stresses the importance of children having enough break times and chances to relax and reflect, for their motivation and well-being
For experts in children’s well-being it may come as no surprise,...Read more
A variety of recent projects in the arts, heritage and academic sectors have taken adventure playgrounds as their theme, bringing welcome attention to this important part of the UK play scene. However, cautions Adrian Voce,...Read more
Play on Pedals, a national partnership project in Scotland that aimed to give every preschool child in Glasgow, the country’s largest city, the opportunity to learn to ride a bike before starting school, has published its...Read more
The high profile lecture series, TED Talks has compiled a ‘playlist’ of its talks that feature different aspects of play.
The talks featured on the TED website cover research into the play of adults, humans and different...Read more
Policy Press, the social policy specialist publisher based at the University of Bristol in England is to publish a new book of practice-based studies that utilise new methodologies in researching children’s play.
Edited by Doctors Wendy...Read more
At a time of increasing debate over the extent of children’s use of screen-based technology, for many child professionals, the three-dimensional, messy enjoyment of children making things with their hands from pieces of scrap is more important then ever....Read more
Children’s right to play is universal, but often overlooked. This is especially true for refugee children. When they are also disabled, the neglect of this essential human right – so important for children trying to...Read more
Unique to the playing child, or children, at any one moment in time is the motivation to create something out of apparently nothing. Constantly exposed to so much stimuli. But with, often, limited opportunities to...Read more