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Position paper – Children’s right to play
The multifaceted nature of child development and learning allows for many theoretical and
practical ideas surrounding the ‘best-practice’ for children in Australian Early Childhood Education and
Care (ECEC) settings. Play-based learning and children’s rights to play have been an ongoing issue in the
ECEC industry, which are consistently challenged by opinions from society, parents and families, and
pressures from the school education sector about early childhood settings producing children who are
academically ‘school-ready’. This position paper discusses the nuances surrounding a child’s right to play
and the role of educators in enabling children’s play in ECEC contexts. This paper then highlights the
developmental benefits of children learning through play and explores why supporting this issue and
encouraging play-based learning results in positive life outcomes for children.
Article 31 of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of a Child (Office of the United
Nations High Commission for Human Rights [UN], 1990), states that all children have a right to engage
in play activities and to freely participate in rest and leisure (p. 9). The article also states that the rights of
the child should be respected and promoted to allow children to participate fully in these experiences, and
it is the responsibility of state parties to provide all children with equal opportunities to exercise these
rights (UN, 1990). The pedagogical approaches in high quality ECEC services are designed to address
and respect the Rights of a Child and facilitate these opportunities for children to engage in and develop
through play. EC educators are required to meet the Quality Standards (Australian Children’s Education
and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2018) and abide by the Early Years Learning Framework
(EYLF) (Department of Education and Training [DET], 2019) which discuss the importance of children
learning through play based experiences.
When children engage in supportive play they are able to discover and imagine new ideas, engage
in problem solving and critical thinking strategies, as well as building new understandings of their peers
and the world around them (Department of Education and Training [DET], 2019). However, often the
issues surrounding children and play arise when these benefits are overlooked by the concern from
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parents and families about childrens’ learning outcomes. Often parents and families share concerns that
play-based experiences are not reaching their academic expectations for their children, and that this will
impede on their child’s preparedness for formal schooling. These beliefs are still supported by the
discussions surrounding ‘school-readiness’ and that an easy transition to school depends on the skills of
the individual child (Dockett & Perry, 2013a; Petriwskyj, Thorpe & Tayler, 2005, as cited in Dockett &
Perry, 2014). This is an ongoing issue for educators as they are having to continually justify their
pedagogical approaches to stakeholders who might not be well educated about the evidence based
benefits of play for children in the early years.
Facilitating a child’s right to play, and encouraging play-based learning in ECEC settings is an
issue for children, educators, and the early childhood sector as there are conflicting opinions from outside
parties about the resulting educational outcomes for children. It is also an issue within ECEC settings as
there are factors which influence the ability of educators being able to facilitate play based opportunities.
These can include poor staff ratios, having suitable outdoor and indoor learning environments for play, as
well as the concept of children engaging in ‘risky play’. According to the Tennessee Commission on
Children and Youth [TCCY] (2016) the issue of a child’s right to play is immediate as it has an instant,
direct effect on all children within an ECEC setting. The above reasons can make it challenging for
educators to provide children with consistent and quality play experiences, therefore the children miss out
on the benefits. This is an issue as play not only encourages children to develop their inquiry skills,
resulting in a greater desire to learn (DET, 2019), but also provides a chance for enjoyment and
excitement in their daily routines. A child’s right to play is also an actionable issue (TCCY, 2016) as
collectively, the attitudes surrounding play and the support for play-based learning can be changed and
improved through the advocacy of early childhood education and the positive role that play has in child
development. Ultimately, this topic is an issue for children and ECEC in general, as the challenges and
differing views surrounding a child’s right to play, defies a child’s autonomy and the understanding that
learning through play encourages “positive dispositions towards learning” (DET, 2019, p. 17).
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There are a number of perspectives surrounding the concept of play based learning and
supporting a child’s right to play. One view stems from the conflicting public discourse that children need
to be introduced to a more structured, academic curriculum in the years before they begin formal
schooling, and that play does not provide much educational purpose. Pyle et al. (2020) discuss that this
perspective arises from the idea that at home, parents and families might use play as a reward for their
children after they finish their chores, therefore insinuating that play is the opposite of work, purpose, or
responsibility. This notion is also represented at school with children engaging in free play during recess
time, therefore play serves as a break from the more stimulating, academic learning in the classroom
environment (Pyle et al., 2020). Parents often have high expectations about what their children are
learning and want to have visual demonstrations of their progress of literacy, numeracy and writing skills
(Faculty of Education, 2022). As educators are required to respect all families’ values, beliefs and share in
the decision making about their children (ACECQA, 2018), they might feel compelled to include more
structured literacy and numeracy experiences in their programs, and eliminate periods of extended play,
therefore not assisting each child’s right to play.
Another perspective is the topic of ‘risky play’ within the EC learning environment, and how that
also has an impact on educators’ abilities to support a child’s right to play. Educators have a duty of care
for all children and are responsible for providing adequate supervision and safety precautions to protect
children from harm and hazard (ACECQA, 2018). However, what constitutes ‘risky’ play and how
willing educators are at encouraging all types of play, differs for each person and the setting. What some
people see as an opportunity for discovery, challenge, and problem solving play, others might see as
dangerous and irresponsible, therefore they would cease play and increase adult intervention and control
(Cornish, 2012). Also, the increase of safety policies and regulations for EC settings, has contributed to
an overprotective, risk-avoidant society which has negatively impacted the facilitation of children’s play
experiences (Cornish, 2012). These factors create an issue for respecting a child’s right to play, as
educators have the responsibility of promoting learning environments where children are free to engage in
any type of play and engage in collaborative learning (DET, 2019).
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Although agreeing with the overarching responsibility to protect all children from risk and harm,
and providing children with some structured learning opportunities, as an educator, I believe that
supporting a child’s right to play and allowing them to engage in play based experiences is best practice
and results in positive outcomes for all children. Adopting a holistic approach to early childhood
education and care results in an interconnected learning environment, which supports children’s cognitive
development and their “physical, personal, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing” (DET, 2019, p. 16).
I believe that when educators provide a range of learning experiences, particularly play based
experiences, they are offering children the best chances for lifelong growth, as children develop resilience
and problem solving skills (Cornish, 2012). Essentially, play provides children with the opportunities to
practice behaviours and skills that they will need in adulthood (Bergen, 2014).
Encouraging children to engage in free play also strengthens their independence, identity, and
self-worth as the acknowledgement of their freedom of choice highlights to them that they are important
and that their opinions and decisions matter. As educators are responsible for promoting each child’s
agency, enabling them to make choices, and respecting their opinions (ACECQA, 2018), allowing a child
to choose what activities they would like to do and if and when they would like to engage in play,
supports their sense of autonomy. My perspective on this issue opposes the beliefs that allowing a child to
play whenever they desire will result in a lack of ‘real’ learning. This perspective fails to see that play
“provides active exploration that assists in building and strengthening brain pathways” (Barblett, 2016,
para. 6), therefore actually increasing the child’s potential for learning. For these reasons, I believe that it
is an educator’s duty to create the conditions for play to occur within the EC setting, which supports a
child’s right to play and their rights to quality educational opportunities.
The issues surrounding play-based learning and supporting a child’s right to play could be
improved by educating others about the importance of play during the early years. Educators advocating
for the children within their care by knowing each child well and providing them with play-focused
learning experiences, would create an environment which supports children’s autonomy.
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As educational leaders possess the responsibility to create a collective commitment to positive
change (Waniganayake et al., 2017, as cited in ACECQA, 2019), they have the ability to provoke rethinking about previous assumptions about the ECEC industry, and some of the outdated understandings
of child development and practices. Parents, families, community members, and other education
professionals have their perspectives and expectations about children’s rights and what they believe to be
the best practices for teaching and learning. This is especially prevalent in the transition to school period
year for preschool children. However, as professionals who are governed by high quality professional
standards, frameworks, and developmental theories, educators need to understand and exercise their role
of being able to justify the benefits of play-based learning (Barblett, 2016), to dispel the theory that
allowing children to play has little educational benefits or will not enhance their school ‘readiness’. It is
important to have open communication between ECEC centres and all stakeholders to ensure similar,
shared expectations and effective transitions for children and families (Dockett & Perry, 2014).
Another way for educators to improve the challenge of allowing or restricting a child’s choice to
play, is to decipher what is educationally beneficial for that particular child. To know this, educators will
have to make professional judgments about that child, knowing their strengths and developmental
capabilities (Cornish, 2012), to facilitate a learning environment which is in the best interest of that child.
If the overall goal for educators is to achieve the highest quality outcomes for children, then educators
need to implement personalised pedagogical approaches to support each individual child. This results in
beneficial, child-centred approaches to learning (ACECQA, 2018). When educators understand their
children’s developmental requirements they are better equipped to respect their rights to play, and can
alleviate the challenges of this issue by providing the adequate materials and space for both leisure and
recreational activities to successfully occur (Cornish, 2012).
Respecting a child’s right to play means to respect their authority in making decisions for
themselves, as well as advocating for quality learning experiences for them. Learning through play is a
vital part of a child’s early years and contributes to their physical, cognitive, and social development.
However, the topic of play-based learning can be met with academic concerns from parents and families
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as well as apprehension surrounding the idea of ‘risky play’. However, facilitating an environment where
children’s decisions are respected and their right to play is paramount. Educators understand that playbased learning achieves positive outcomes for children and they have the power to promote play by being
advocates for play-based learning and by fostering an environment where the individual rights of each
child is acknowledged and respected.