A New Play Strategy For Wrexham
- working in partnership to uphold children’s right to play
Mike Barclay – WCBC Play Development Coordinator
Its all about Values!
Professional and personal values
How we value children
How we value childhood
How we value PLAY
If we value children we must also value play!
The Issue – what is play?
Freely Chosen
Personally Directed
Intrinsically Motivated
Spontaneous, illogical and without purpose
What children do when left to their own devices
Children have a right to play
The Facts - benefits to children?
Critical to brain development
Physical development and fitness
Emotion regulation and social skills
New experiences and experiments
Resilience and coping skills
Therapy and stress release
Fun, friendship and happiness
“play is so critically important to all children in the
development of their physical, social, mental,
emotional and creative skills that society should
seek every opportunity to support it and create
an environment that fosters it”
WAG Play Policy 2002
The Facts – benefits to wider society
Happier children who feel valued
Communities which feel safer
Communities which look healthier
Greater community cohesion
Supports children to become competent adults
“The right to play is a child’s first claim on the
community. Play is nature’s training for life. No
community can infringe that right without doing
deep and enduring harm to the minds and
bodies of its citizens”
David Lloyd George (1925)
The Problem – Play Deprivation
Children deprived of essential experiences
Children have less freedom to play
Children have less time to play
Children have less space to play
Children play outside less often
The Causes of Play Deprivation
Huge increases in traffic on our roads
Re-development of playable space
Increase anxieties about children’s safety
The fear of litigation
Result: reduced value placed on play
Result: less tolerance for children’s play
The aim
“to increase the number of children and young
people having regular access to a wide range
of play opportunities within their own
community”
Wrexham Play Strategy 2009 to 2013
Or… more children playing more often
The Solution
Shorter term:
Compensate children for experiences lost
Longer term:
Change the way society values play
New Play Strategy addresses both of these
Spaces which offer greater play value
Compensatory
Play Provision
MORE PLAY
More freedom
to play
Communities placing a greater value on play
Conclusion
Where can you have an impact?
How can play support aspects of your work?
We are facing some big challenges
We will have to make some big changes
A partnership approach will be needed
We can make a real and lasting difference