Playing through crisis: lessons from COVID-19 on play as a fundamental right of the child

Figures & data

Figure 1. Article 31 of the UNCRC.

Figure 2. Factors for an Optimum Environment (General Comment No. 17).

Table 1. COVID-19 public health management: overview of impact on children’s play.

	Space	Time	Resources	Permissions
Quarantine	Loss of access to everyday environments. Heightened significance of the bedroom.	More time for play.	Loss of people to play with in-person. Heightened significance of electronic play and play based on commercial products.	Space for play highly restricted.
Lockdown	Highly constrained access to everyday environments. Heightened significance of the homespace (including spaces beyond the bedroom).	More time for play.	Loss of people to play with in-person. Heightened significance of electronic play and play based on commercial products.	Space for play restricted.
Relaxation	Access to some everyday environments under public health restrictions. Continued restrictions on commercial indoor play environments.	Return to pre-pandemic time-spaces for play. Additional pressures on time for play given the perceived need to ‘catch up’ with education loss.	Return to wider array of resources for play.	Restrictions are eased, but public concern persists over interaction in public space.
Unrestricted	Unrestricted access to everyday environments	Return to pre-pandemic time-spaces for play. In the early period, there may still be additional pressures on time for play, given the perceived need to ‘catch up’ with education loss.	Full access to array of resources for play.	Restrictions gradually return to pre-pandemic character.

Table 2. Exemplars of Promoting Play in COVID-19 Times (International Play Association).

Project name	Host Organisation	Place / Country	Format	Scale / Population	Focus
Emergency Play Parcels	London Play	London, England	Material	2000 children	Distribute play parcels (with 52 games) – alongside food staples – to families in need.
Follow the line	Playing Peas e.V.	Nuremberg, Germany	Public space	General public	Design in public space (ramps to an underground station) to invite play and to become place of ‘play culture’.
Let’s Play Ireland	Dept. of Children and Youth Affairs	Ireland	Online	Parents and carers	Online campaign to promote the importance of play and to provide resources for families.
Schola Ludens	Child Support Institute	Lisbon, Portugal	School space	Children, professionals and families in 11 primary schools	Design interventions and support in schools to promote and maintain play throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Success in Each Child	Municipality of Cascais	Cascais, Portugal	Online	Children and families.	Daily video to showcase a playful activity that could be undertaken in the home.
#SparkthePlay	East Lothian Play Association	East Lothian, Scotland	Online, material and play sessions	800 children	Support play at home and in the community, acting as a bridge with a storybook character to help children manage COVID-19 experiences through everyday play.
Wee Inspirations	Starcatchers	Scotland	Online & material	Families with babies and young children	Simple, low-stress, fun ideas for families to be playful and creative together. Initially online, later a creative play pack.
Playful Schools	Play Scotland and ScrapAntics CIC	Dundee, Scotland	Play sessions	Children and professionals	Pilot project to explore the potential for Loose Parts Play to promote children’s mental wellbeing in the context of COVID-19.
Geronimo at the Grove	Aberdeen City Council	Aberdeen, Scotland	Play sessions	Parents and their children (0-5 years)	Creative approaches that also encouraging risk taking in play. Took place in the summer when lockdown was lifted.
BIG Porridge & Play Online	Licketyspit Theatre Company	Glasgow, Scotland	Online	Families with children (3-12 years)	Intergenerational play facilitated by Actor-Pedagogues, developing play from participants own ideas.
PlayKX	PlayKX	London, England	Online	Children, parents and playworkers.	Zoom play sessions, and Instagram and YouTube content to enable parents and playworkers to support play.
CoronaPlay Initiative	Play Wales	Wales	Online and material	Practitioners, children and parents	Develop play resources for practitioners, children and parents, supported by social media and online presence.
Apalam Chapalam	Apalam Chapalam	New Delhi, India	Online	Children aged 6–14 in low-income urban environments	Performative storytelling channel hosted on YouTube and Instagram. Collaboration across 60 NGOs.
Play in a Box	Anthill Creations Foundation	Karnataka, India	Material	1000 children	Box that gives children resources to promote curiosity and creativity. Crowdfunding aims to extend reach to 10,000.
Play2Learn Programme	Toybank	Mumbai, India	Online	49,000 ‘at risk’ children, 2,000+ teachers, 7,000+ parents	Provides virtual Play2Learn Kits to promote children’s resilience and learning.
Creative Learning Tools	Marini Widowati et al.	Indonesia	Online	Parents of children (0-6 years)	Tutorial YouTube videos on making your own play equipment or games from recycled materials or common items at home.
COVID-19 Home Play Box	Playright Children’s Play Association	Hong Kong	Material	Children (early childhood, lower primary, with special needs) in deprived areas and hospitals	COVID-19 Home Play Boxes with loose parts. With guidance for parents, teachers and staff (videos and leaflets).
Weaving A Safety Net by Ourselves	Adventure Playground Network of Chiba Prefecture	Chiba, Japan	Online & play space	Local children	‘Play inside house!’ on a YouTube Channel. Organized a physical adventure playground in the middle of a pandemic
Play at Home Campaign	Gizem K. Önduygu et al.	Istanbul, Turkey	Online	Parents	Campaign by parents with a Play at Home Guide comprising more than 100 play ideas.
Think Playgrounds	Think Playgrounds Social Enterprise	Hanoi, Vietnam	Play space	Local children and community	Continued to protect and promote the children's right to play with small, flexible activities and local community participation.
Playgrounds: Increasing access to ECD education	Play Action International	Uganda	Play space	Children in refugee settlements	Community-built playgrounds as safe spaces in responses to increased child protection concerns due to school closures.
Auckland Association	Auckland Council PSR Lockdown Response	New Zealand	Online	Children and families	Online content via Facebook, GooseChase app to support families to be playful and active.
Poipoia! Time to Play	Municipal teams	Ōtautahi, Christchurch, New Zealand	Play space	Children (primary school age)	Co-designed with pupils to promote play on temporary school grounds.

Source: IPA Right to Play in Times of Crisis, awards nominations booklet, 2020, www.ipaworld.org