Play is the greatest pleasure in my life. For children, play is both a purpose and a great pleasure. Play forms an essential part of childhood development because it contributes to cognitive, physical and social well-being. Through play, children say they make their own decisions, control their actions, and learn to hang out with others. In other words, children do not just play, but control themselves through play, and have social skills through conflict and cooperation. As they begin to master their environment, play contributes to developing competency which gives them the much-needed confidence to explore and learn self-advocacy skills in conjunction with decision-making skills. I truly believe that play is the most important activity in which human beings engage throughout their lives.

I brainstormed about the Play. The first thing that came to mind was the playground, and I thought of the structure or interesting form of the playground. Also, children’s play is simple and has a pattern. These points were interesting.

So I went outside and investigated the playground.

Looking back on my childhood, I can recall the experience of having fun with my friends in the playground. The playground was a place where friendship was built, imagination expanded, and unwritten rules about childhood relationships were learned and tested. Learning in the playground is as important as a classroom.

However, today, children’s social activities in the playground are becoming increasingly difficult. Many reasons, including serious pandemics, regional disputes, and studies, are collapsing the children’s community.

The UN General Assembly adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 for the purpose of protecting the human rights of children. This contains all the rights necessary for children to grow up healthy and happy while expressing themselves to their heart’s content, such as children’s right to survive, develop, protect, and participate.

Article 31 of the UNCRC says that

1. Children and young people have the right to have fun in the way they want to, whether by playing sports, watching films, or doing something else entirely. They have the right to rest, too.
2. Children and young people should be able to take part freely in cultural activities, just like adults. The government should make sure it’s easy for them to do this whether or not they have a disability.

The content is that children should have the opportunity to relax enjoy the leisure and engage in entertainment activities. However, the reality is not like this. All of these children, including poor children, child workers, and children who have to study only due to excessive educational enthusiasm in some developed countries, have been violated their right to play. As previously emphasised, play is one of the developmental processes for children. It is also important because children can participate in various activities including learning activities by taking a breakthrough play. In summary, children have the right to take enough rest, make their own decisions about their play, leisure, and entertainment activities, and are equally guaranteed the right to play.

Bibliography

Hendricks, B.E. (2018), p.9, Designing for play. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Sewell, J. and Goldfeld, S. (n.d.). Children need playgrounds now, more than ever. We can reduce COVID risk and keep them open. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/children-need-playgrounds-now-more-than-ever-we-can-reduce-covid-risk-and-keep-them-open-166562.

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. (n.d.). Article 31 – I have a right to relax and play. [online] Available at: https://www.cypcs.org.uk/rights/uncrc/articles/article-31/.

Why swings are disappearing from UK playgrounds. [online] City Monitor. Available at: https://citymonitor.ai/community/public-health/why-swings-are-disappearing-from-uk-playgrounds.