Research Articles
Most of the articles posted on this page are published in academic journals, many of which require a subscription. If you cannot access an article that you are interested in reading we encourage you to either purchase it or check with your local library to see if they have access to it. In the meantime, please enjoy the information that we have provided.
Play, Play and Play Some More: Let Children Be the Animals They Have the Right to Be
A blog posting that links the study of play behavior in animals with what human children need.
Presentation: The Importance of Play and Playfulness in Working with Traumatised Children and Adolescents
In this presentation, Peter Blake discusses the importance of understanding the emotional significance of the origins of play, and how this understanding is useful in the emotional assessment and therapeutic interactions with traumatized children and adolescents. Building on the work of Winnicott, there will be a discussion as to why being able to play and being in a state of playfulness is necessary in maintaining a personal sense of self. This presentation was recorded at the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) in March 2009 at New South Wales, Australia.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Report Stresses Play for Healthy Development
A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient. The report, "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds," is written in defense of play and in response to forces threatening free play and unscheduled time. These forces include changes in family structure, the increasingly competitive college admissions process, and federal education policies that have led to reduced recess and physical education in many schools.
Active Living Research - Syntheses, Summaries and Briefs
This online repository of summaries from existing literature on active living is updated periodically.
Blog post: how play can build resilience in adults
Steve Beseke discusses how play is crucial to our lives, our health, our liveliness, our resilience and innovation and so much more. He also provides several characteristics of play.
All Work and No Play Makes for a Dull Museum Visitor
Drawing from a constructivist view of learning and play research, the author explores the potential of play in the unique setting of museums to enhance adults' creative thinking and generate opportunities for new learning.
The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds
(Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD) Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children. Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children. This report addresses a variety of factors that have reduced play, including a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centered play. This report offers guidelines on how pediatricians can advocate for children by helping families, school systems, and communities consider how best to ensure that play is protected as they seek the balance in children’s lives to create the optimal developmental milieu.
Where do children usually play? A qualitative study of parents’ perceptions of influences on children’s active free-play
(Jenny Veitch, Sarah Bagley, Kylie Ball, Jo Salmon)This study explored the perceptions of 78 parents from low, mid and high socio-economic areas in Melbourne, Australia to increase understanding of where children play and why. Using an ecological model interviews with parents revealed that safety and social factors emerged as key social themes, facilities at parks and playgrounds, and urban design factors emerged as important physical environment themes. The children’s level of independence and attitudes to active free-play were considered to be important individual level influences on active free-play. The study findings have important implications for future urban planning and children’s opportunities for active free-play.
"Play Unplugged" initiative kickoff in Largo Central Park - March 10 - "Play Unplugged" is designed to help parents, caregivers and local service providers address the barriers and fears impeding children's free play. The initiative kicks off with an event March 10 at Largo Central Park. With the help of Pop Up Adventure Play, a New York-based play advocacy organization, the park will be filled with hands-on-games, discovery stations and a plethora of recycled materials including old refrigerator boxes, pieces of old fabric and scraps of wood and paper. Organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, will be conducting tree climbing lessons. Along with the large event on March 10, the following Monday, McMahon will hold a "train the trainer'' day for caregivers from day care centers throughout Pinellas County. The program will provide more discussion on free play.
Certified Interpretive Trainers Course in Charlotte, NC - April 16 to April 20 - The National Association of Interpreters (NAI) is hosting a Certified Interpretive Trainers (CIT) course at the Reedy Creek Nature Center in Charlotte, NC. Completing this course will help interpreters demonstrate they have skills and knowledge to perform effectively. The course is open to any interested individuals, but is of particular interest to those working in nature centers, museums, zoos, living history sites, etc.
26th International Council for Children's Play (ICCP) World Play Conference - June 17 to June 20 - The 26th ICCP World Play Conference will be held in Tallinn, Estonia on the 18 and 19 June 2012, organised in co-operation with Tallinn University and the Estonian Union for Child Welfare. Children need time and space to play as part of their everyday lives. 'Play' is provided and organised in many different forms, from educational activities for pre-school children to childcare services for school-aged children; from playwork settings to youth services; from outdoor play to play in the virtual environment for children of all ages; from sports and leisure activities for young children and teenagers; and many, many more. This conference will explore what can be learnt from research about the provision of play by adults in the light of the widely-held view of children's need for undirected time and space in their lives from a practical, philosophical and historical perspective.