North American Ed - Coping and competence

2.6 Play, coping and competence

Research demonstrates that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain. Furthermore, play supports the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with all caregivers that children need to thrive” (Yogman et al., 2018, para. 1).

Play is complex and not all that well understood. Even defining what play is has been challenging for researchers. The Lego Foundation was established with the aim of “re-defining play and re-imaging learning to ensure children build the broad set of skills they need to thrive and succeed” (The Lego Foundation – About us, n.d., para 1).

Founded on the belief that active playful learning encourages flexible, creative thinking, the Lego Foundation supports the concept of playful pedagogy in classrooms for children. The idea is that playful learning experiences prepare children better for the future than traditional “rote” learning, where students learn little about problem-solving and critical thinking.

On their website, the Foundation describes 5 qualities of playful experiences and shows how they can occur in classrooms. Explore the page and watch the video.

The following reading is a white paper developed for the Lego Foundation that provides an overview of play research.  After you have read the paper, try the interactive review that follows.

The importance of outdoor play in particular is becoming well documented.  The link below is to the topic of outdoor play in the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. It includes a synthesis that highlights key information. See other tabs for research findings and practical implications on issues ranging from the benefits of outdoor play, to inclusive outdoor play environments, and indigenizing outdoor play.

Any program and policy for young children should be for all children – including children with disabilities.

Disabled children have the right to receive special care and support to ensure they reach their full developmental potential (Article 21) and all children have the right to play, rest, recreation and leisure (Article 31)” (Jenvey, 2013, p,. 4).

Read a short summary of research about play and disability, from the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.

Animals and play

Play is a fact of life and evolutionary biologists believe it is a key to survival. We know that play is very important to children. Particularly between the ages of 2 and 7, play dominates behaviour and is the way children explore and learn about the world. But animals play too – even insects, reptiles and amphibians!

In the next two clips, University of Lethbridge neuroscientist, Dr. Bryan Kolb, explains some of the common characteristics of animal play.

Listen to Dr. Stephen Suomi, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the United States, explain how monkeys play with each other.

Imaginative play

If you spend any time with children between the ages of 2 and 6, you will notice a great deal of imaginative thinking and play. In fact, it seems that pretending or imagining is the main form of play for this age group. During the school age years most children continue to play imaginatively but they also become interested in more structured play including games and athletic activities. Through imaginative play, children explore the world by acting out experiences with which they are familiar, often in their own, interesting ways. This kind of play, also known a pretend play, make-believe play or dramatic play, supports social and emotional development. Children often act out experiences that are a bit scary, and it is a way of gaining control. They can be leaders or followers and learn a great deal by negotiating roles with others e.g., who will be the mother? The teacher? The “bad guy”? The lion or elephant? Sociodramatic play, in which children pretend together and sustain roles, is often considered the most complex and highest form of play and is especially common among 4 and 5 year olds. Children also learn to problem solve and they negotiate roles, find or make props, elaborate on scenarios and so on. Learn more in the next reading by Tracy Gleason.

An Australian study by Morrissey, Scott and Rahimi (2017) looked at the sociodramatic play of four and five year old children in two different outdoor play spaces – a traditional one with fabricated play structures as well as trees and foliage, and a naturalized one with logs, grassy areas, foliage, stepping stones, a gravel path and no fabricated structures. The study found that compared to the traditional play area, “children in the new naturalized playspace engaged in longer periods of play, and took on more demanding fantasy roles” (p. 190).  They discuss a variety of features that promote sociodramatic play – natural elements, open-ended materials such as loose parts, and areas that are both secluded and quiet (as they explain, an abundance of plants and soft surfaces helps reduce noise). The next reading is a summary of this study.

Active and risky play

Many are concerned that today’s children are losing out on opportunities for “true” play – that is play that is self-motivated, meaningful, child-led and fun.

Concerns about safety – both physical safety in terms of potential injury and broader safety in terms of potential danger in the environment (perceived and real) – have sometimes curtailed children’s freedom and given them far fewer opportunities for active outdoor play than were likely enjoyed by their parents. At the same time, there is greater understanding of how outdoor, active, child-led play contributes to growing coping and competence and, of course, health.

It is important to be aware of the evidence that exists about recommended amounts of physical activity for children of different ages.  The first article provides a summary of the evidence about sedentary behaviour recommendations for young children.  The second reading, the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for the early years, provides a concise summary of amount of time young children of different ages should “move”, “sleep”, and “sit” each day.   

ParticipACTION is a Canadian organization that puts out regular report cards assessing physical activity in children and youth. Check out their 2018 report card to see how Canadian children measure up. Read the report to learn more about how physical activity helps overall brain function.

The next activity reviews some highlights from ParticipACTION’s 2018 report card.

ParticipACTION’s 2022 report focuses on how the pandemic has impacted children’s physical activity levels. The first infographic highlights pandemic-related challenges and opportunities for physical activity. Any surprises? Review the complete report for further details.

A lot of outdoor active play takes place in playspaces that adults have planned for children. Around the world, play spaces for children vary widely in terms of what is typical and what meets safety regulations. Public play spaces for children, whether school playgrounds or play spaces in parks and child care centres, are a hot topic for research and debate. In North America, traditional playgrounds often include pre-made metal or wooden structures for climbing and swinging, built on asphalt surfaces. Nature playgrounds that emphasize natural elements over fabricated structures are gaining popularity, but they are not yet the norm.

Dr. Mariana Brussoni is an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and works in the area of injury prevention with the British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit. Listen as she describes research on how children play on traditional, prefabricated structures versus play areas with more variety, loose parts, and natural materials.

Educators and parents are increasingly concerned that children do not have access to the kinds of rich, adventurous play experiences that they had in the past. Risky play is a term that is often used to describe this kind of play. In the next clip, Marc Battle and Melinda Walden explain the meaning of risky play.

Listen now as Brussoni describes the results of a systematic review on risky play that found numerous benefits to child health and behaviour.

The Position statement on active outdoor play from the Child and Nature Alliance, provides evidence-based recommendations related to children’s access to active play in nature and outdoors.  

The next video was filmed at the Blokksberg Kindergarten in Bergen, Norway. It shows children playing in the outdoor play area that includes rough terrain and a rocky hill. The teacher in the video describes the difficulties they faced when the municipal inspectors questioned the safety of the area. She explains why the teachers fought to keep this natural area available to the children rather than install typical playground equipment and fence off the hill to keep children away from it (note: there are English subtitles available).

In the next two videos, Brussoni explains a project she was involved in to create a risk-reframing tool. This goal of the tool is to encourage adults to give children more opportunities for outdoor (and risky) play. In the first video, she provides background on risky play, the developmental benefits for children, and some statistics on the trends in Canada that show children spending more time indoors, in sedentary activities.

In the next video, Brussoni explains the three modules in the tool that help adults assess their own approach to risky play. It also provides an opportunity for them to make an action plan with goals.

Learn more about risky play and try out the risk reframing tool on the following website.

In the next video, Brussoni reviews why the risk reframing tool was developed and the research being done to measure its effectiveness.