Research Highlights Importance Of Play To Children's Resilience And Adaptability

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 14 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Everyone knows that children love to play, and new research published today by Play England throws new light on why it is so important to them. The research, carried out for Play England by the University of Gloucestershire, reveals that playing has an effect on regions of the brain to do with emotion, motivation and reward. It helps children to develop their range of responses to situations, experiences and relationships. By playing, it concludes, children develop resilience and the ability to adapt.

Researchers Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell surveyed a range of scientific studies within neuroscience, systems thinking, epigenetics and the geographies and sociology of childhood. They found that children are motivated to play because they enjoy its spontaneity, its physical and emotional uncertainty - the idea of being in and out of control. Children at play can experience and explore the fullest range of feelings - because they're 'just' playing.

However, the report also reveals that many children may be being denied these benefits because of the considerable barriers they face to enjoying the necessary environments for play. It also warns against viewing play only as a means to formal learning or other longer-term outcomes, arguing that it is its immediacy and spontaneity that provides vital benefits to children.

The report, Play for a Change - Play, Policy and Practice: A review of contemporary perspectives, which was funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will be officially launched today at Play England's annual members meeting. The event will also hear from a spokesperson for the Department for Children, Schools and Families about the government's Fair Play strategy, which was launched for consultation in April 2008.

Play England promotes excellent free play opportunities for all children and young people. Play England provides advice and support to promote good practice, and works to ensure that the importance of play is recognised by policy makers, planners and the public. Play England is part of NCB and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. Play England is contracted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to support and provide guidance to local authorities who have been allocated funding under the £235m play strategy for England. http://www.playengland.org.uk

The National Children's Bureau's (NBC's) mission is to advance the well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. As a membership and infrastructure support agency for the children's sector in England and Northern Ireland, NCB provides essential information on policy, research and best practice for our members and the members of our wide range of partnership bodies, which operate under our charitable status and are based in our London headquarters. For further information visit http://www.ncb.org.uk

The Big Lottery Fund's Children's Play initiative is a £155 million programme. As part of this, BIG has awarded a grant of £15 million to NCB to establish Play England as the national organisation for play. The project offers support and advice to local authorities and agencies to help them develop play strategies and access grants from BIG's £124 million Children's Play programme. BIG has also made an additional £16 million available for Playful Ideas, an initiative that will fund novel play projects which focus on innovation and new ways of providing children's play. http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Source
Clare Quarrell, Aoife Allen, Clare Lilley - NCB Media Office
National Childrens Bureau

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