Community Cafe: Encouraging a Play-based Childhood
The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington hosted their third Community Cafe about encouraging a play-based childhood on November 21, 2024. Thank you to the ECCS Parent Ambassadors, Betsy and Jessica, for organizing this event.
The session opened with this video: This Is Me: Article 31 and a Child’s Right to Play that celebrates how on February 1st, 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expanded the world’s understanding of the child’s right to play by adopting a General Comment on Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The goals of the Cafe were to:
- Learn about the impact of play on a child’s development.
- Hear about what happened in society over the last 50 years that discouraged parents from allowing their children to play independently and why attitudes are now changing towards more play.
- Learn about CT legislation which gives parents more freedom to allow their children independence (AN ACT CONCERNING CIRCUMSTANCES PRESENTING A SUBSTANTIAL RISK TO A CHILD’S HEALTH OR SAFETY.) and the requirement that schools provide younger students with time for play during the school day (AN ACT CONCERNING TEACHERS AND PARAEDUCATORS. – Section 4).
- Discussion of challenges or limitations families have faced around this issue.
- Brainstorm how the Southington community can encourage all children to play safely and independently.
View the ECCS Community Café on Play slides.
These were the books on display:
- The Anxious Generation | Jonathan Haidt. There are more Resources on The Anxious Generation website.
- Adventures In Risky Play – Rusty Keeler. This author and designer also has inspiration projects you can do on your own.
- Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children
- Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers
- Loose Parts for Children with Diverse Abilities
The group had a good discussion about next steps and attendees provided feedback:
- Participants and their children have had different experiences related to how much freedom they had to explore and play and their use of mobile devices.
- Parents shared their children loved the items left in the sand area at the Panthorn Park playground, even the broken truck pieces which they used in a variety of ways (as a “loose part”). How can we introduce more loose parts into parks and playgrounds around town?
- There was a suggestion that rather than have physical therapy or occupational therapy services for elementary school students be a pull-out situation, which can be stigmatizing and embarrassing for the child, have the PT or OT bring play-based activities that will help their student into the entire classroom.
This free event was funded by a grant from the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood as administered by the Connecticut Children’s Collective (CTCC).
Here are other resources, including those that focus on play-based childhood and more childhood independence:
- Sparkler is a free mobile app that allows you to do developmental screening and also provides suggestions about developmentally appropriate play activities to do off-line. About Sparkler and registration codes for Southington
- A free, customizable curriculum: The Let Grow Experience is Life-Changing Homework.
- Let Grow – When Adults Step Back, Kids Step Up.
- OutsidePlay, they have a Parent Tool.
- Loose Parts Play: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators – Wunderled
This graphic summarizes much of what was covered.
Source: Fix.com Blog
