Play Strategy - Statement of Principles
The Play Strategy for Swindon will be developed to address the issues that prevent children and young people 0-19 from playing naturally and to support the establishment of quality and diverse play environments for all of the Borough’s children and young people.
The strategy will recognise the role of adults in supporting and encouraging play as an activity that children and young people partake in for their own intrinsic enjoyment.
Statement of Principles
1. We believe that play is fundamental to children’s health and well being throughout their childhood and during their transition into adulthood.
- Children and young people engage in play for its own sake, not for any external goal or reward. Play is a significant and very important part of a child’s life and culture and should be treated seriously and resourced appropriately.
- Play is critically important to children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development and learning. Children and young people exhibit a behavioural imperative and instinctive desire to play. Through play children learn that which cannot be taught but that which can only be learnt through experience, such as self-confidence, self-reliance, creativity and resilience.
- A child’s development, and their future capacity as an adult, will be affected by their access to a full range of creative, enjoyable and exciting play opportunities.
2. We believe that play is a natural and universal activity.
It is a process with no necessary outcome and can make a significant contribution towards the five core requirements of Every Child Matters.
Being healthy
Staying Safe
Enjoying and achieving
Making a positive contribution
Achieving economic well-being
- Play is freely chosen, entered into by the child because he/she wishes to do so, personally directed under the control of the child playing, intrinsically motivated and undertaken because it is satisfying for the child playing.
- Through play, children and young people find out about themselves, their abilities and interests. Play, therefore is one critical way children come to understand themselves and the world around them. Play helps children and young people to cope with difficult and stressful situations, and fosters social inclusion.
- To support the child’s right to participate fully in leisure, recreation, physical activity, and play, children and young people’s views, needs, rights, and interests, including their full participation, must be sought, listened to and taken into account.
3. We recognise that children and young people want to play and are entitled to do so, in a variety of public spaces near to their homes. This includes both places designated for play and shared public space.
This based is on the understanding that all members of the community, whether young or old shall have a mutual respect for each others individual needs and requirements.
- The impact of modern, urban society on children’s lives significantly restricts their opportunity to play freely, and has resulted in a poverty of play opportunities in the general environment.
- Children, their families and society as a whole, benefit from an environment in which children and young people are able to play in public spaces free from unacceptable hazards and risks.
- Specialised play equipment can make a positive contribution to the overall provision. However, play equipment alone is neither necessary nor sufficient to create play environments of quality.
- Appropriate risk-taking can be an essential feature of children’s and young people’s play. Children and young people often want and need to take risks, innovate, and explore in order to find new limits, venture into new experiences and develop new skills, knowledge, understanding and capacities.
- Occasionally what some may perceive as play could likewise be interpreted by other members of the community as unnecessary disturbance and in the worst cases intimidation. It is imperative therefore that all generations are encouraged to respect the needs and wishes of others.
4. Adults, including play workers, childminders, nursery staff, classroom assistants, teachers, head teachers, governors, youth and professional workers, volunteers, parents, carers, enforcement agencies, relatives and friends have a significant role in supporting and enabling children’s play.
- Based on the overriding principle that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect children from harm and neglect, ensuring their access to stimulating and challenging play environments is an important objective of Swindon’s play provision. Adults have an extremely important role in supporting children’s natural instinct to play and maximising their use of local play environments.
- Some children, due to their personal or family circumstances, or their social and physical environment, have more limited access to play opportunities than others, and that the play needs of these children must be catered for in the development of the Play Strategy for Swindon.