Listening to children's perspectives on play across the lifespan: children's right to inform adults' discussions of contemporary play

Abstract

For over a decade, researchers, practitioners, and play advocates have documented a decline in children's opportunities to engage in unstructured and outdoor play, a discussion that has been represented through the discourse and perspectives of adults. Given the increasing recognition that children's voices, their perspectives, deserve a more intentional and prominent inclusion in activities and decisions designed to influence them, the current study was designed to interview 98 children (ages 3–17) about their perspectives on children's and adults' play to examine how children's ideas could expand the dialogue on the changing sociocultural contexts of play. Children's emic conceptualizations of the characteristics defining play were consistent with previous research. Children's ideas of fun play and plans for spending a whole day playing emphasized relationships, outdoor play, and interacting with toys, but rarely digital play. The majority of children believed that adults play – with their children, sports, games, and digitally – although most children reported that adults do not play enough, a phenomenon they critiqued. The findings are discussed in relationship to literature describing children's perspectives on play and children's rights. The study reveals novel information concerning children's perspectives on play and suggests the importance of including children's narratives in research and advocacy describing the changing landscape of contemporary children's play.

Keywords:

• children's perspectives
• children's rights
• play
• adults' play
• discourse

Notes on contributors

Julie Nicholson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Education at Mills College. A former preschool and elementary school teacher, she has a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University and a Master's and Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Michigan. Dr. Nicholson directs the Center for Play Research at Mills College. She works on several local and state level policy committees addressing child care and early care and education. Dr Nicholson leads a professional learning community to support leadership development among early childhood professionals that has been recognized by the California Department of Education. Her research and publications emphasize social justice in several areas including leadership development, play across the lifespan, the use of social networking tools in higher education coursework, teachers’ use of data to inform their instruction, consequential validity in ECE assessments, and system building efforts (prenatal–8 years) in urban schools.

Priya Mariana Shimpi, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Mills College. As a National Science Foundation predoctoral fellow, she received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in 2006 from the University of Chicago. In 2009, she completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she examined the role of cultural and environmental experiences in children's attention and learning. Her current research focuses on the role of experience in children's social and cognitive development, including the role of play in children's learning. At Mills since 2009, she teaches in the Early Childhood Education MA and undergraduate Child Development programs.

Jean Kurnik, MA, is a Research Assistant at the Center for Play Research at Mills College and a Research consultant for WestEd's For Our Babies Campaign, a project to raise awareness of the importance of investing in our youngest children. Ms Kurnik received her master's degree in early childhood education with an emphasis in leadership from Mills College. She is a former preschool teacher and preschool site director for privately and publicly funded preschool programs in California and manages social media content for the Bay Area Coalition for Play. Ms Kurnik's research interests include children's right to play and sociohistorical contexts influencing children's play experiences.

Christine Carducci, MA, is an instructor of child development at Foothill College and adjunct professor for Pacific Oaks College both campuses in the Bay Area. Currently a graduate student at Mills College, Chris’ doctoral studies focus on intentionality of infant care teachers in center-based early care and education programs.

Maja Jevgjovikj, MA, currently works as a toddler teacher at the Marin Day Schools, San Francisco City Hall Campus. She earned an MA in Education from Mills College. Prior to her graduate studies, Maja lived and worked as a journalist in Macedonia. Maja is a research assistant at the Center for Play Research at Mills College. Her professional interests are related to the sociological and cultural aspects of play.

Notes

1. All names are pseudonyms.