PLAYLINK / Free Play Network

How does free play influence

The Children’s Play Council defines children’s play as “…freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behavior that actively engages the child”- This statement is one of the key statutes which support the notion of “free play” and identify its provision as best practice for playworkers.

Free play means pay which is completely free (sorry if I’m stating the obvious here) – children can do what they want, when they want, how they want.

My question to you all is; how can this help or hinder the development of personality? What sort of personality elements / traits can this sort of free play help to create? Conversely, can this sort of play enable children to display personality elements / traits which we as adults consider to be problematic or worrying for future life? (the obvious question then would be, how can we as fallible adults proscribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting ethically?)

Are there any research papers / projects / theories –current, disproven or ongoing with regards to their validity which would show these findings- in both respects- pro for con? The more obscure and interesting the better!

Many thanks.

Dave



Posted by: David Thompson, Playwork Student (BA Hons), Leeds Metropolitan University, -1 June 2020, 1-:27

Free Play and personality. Now there's a thought. Can I make a claim that whenever we as adults and playworkers (are they synonymous?) get involved in 'free play' with children, it is certain we will, by our very presence, modify the child's thought processes and actions as compared to a group of kids just wandering off to play together? Truly free play is when we are not present. Can I then suggest that the role of the playworker in an adult-presence 'free play' setting is to try to reproduce as nearly as possible the true free play situation? After 24 years with my mobile project (I call this 'safari play' as opposed to 'zoo play' for staffed fixed site settings), I have noticed that children are most responsive and open when the adults present operate in a non-prescriptive, non-judgemental way. Yet even that can send signals to children which would not be given in a truly free play environment. This is an accepted fact of life, that playworkers will influence what children do when they are together. What use should be made of this? I hope that the majority of us will seek to help children mature as well-adjusted and creative individuals, able to adjust to situations, make the most of what is around them, and react well with other people.

One of the most common responses from now-adult former Fun Bus kids is "you were there for us" - or, as one of them in trouble at 21 said to me "you brought us up". He had come to 'confess' a crime because it did not sit well with what he had learned during the years he spent with us from the age of 7. We did not set out, by the way, to prevent crime, we existed only for Play and for Children. Somewhere alomg the way, without even intending this, we managed to influence that boy to an extent I had never envisaged. We maybe had sited our session in his neighbourhood weekly at best, often there were gaps whilst we were somewhere else or had run out of funding (as we have at this stage, yet again, since our local authority transferred all grant aid to projects like ours into creating a leisure trust because their fiscal planning had created a deficit which meant all internal leisure had to be sent into this trust in order to save the council the business rates it had to pay on its leisure sites). So our contact was at best intermittent.

Almost all the "best moments" in our 24 years have been when children have felt free enough to say and do things as if we were not present. Some wonderful memories, fast-on-their-feet, inspirational and often very funny episodes, occasioned by e.g. a dressing up box. As I said to one mum who was worried about her 7 year old son dressing up in a wedding dress ("he likes it too much") and everyone suddenly conjured up a wedding ceremony for the occasion, "if he does it now, he won't grow up to be an MP" "You've got a point, there ...."
Posted by: Jan Cosgrove, National Secretary, Fair Play for Children, -1 June 2020, 1-:27

Dave, forgive me, but you seem confused.

"Free play means pay which is completely free (sorry if I’m stating the obvious here) – children can do what they want, when they want, how they want. "

Well, no actually. The very loose term 'free play' doesn't mean that. Short of sociopaths and psychopaths you won't find anybody agreeing with that. They will all add caveats almost immediately, like 'within reason' , 'within limits'. The term doesn't appear in the Play Charter [the version on my wall that Children Now printed last year.]

And I should really stop there, because if you can't find anyone here to accept your personal definition of free play, then your question can't be answered. It resembles a 'straw man' which is, I suspect, your intent, at least in part. however you have gained three replies- I would check with them: do they really fully support your definition - 'children can do what they want, when they want, how they want.'? I suspect not.

But I shall continue, as this is a discussion, to make some more points...

You say:
The Children’s Play Council defines children’s play as “…freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behavior that actively engages the child”
Yes they do, last time I looked, however there is by no means unanimous support in the playwork world for these statements. The CPC is one voice, and not even the one seen as canonical by everyone in the field. You say: "This statement is one of the key statutes which support the notion of “free play” and identify its provision as best practice for playworkers." Hardly, dear boy. Why not, you ask? Well, very few advocates of free play would think to go to the CPC for support, firstly, and secondly, it isn’t a statute. A statute is = 'a written law passed by a legislative body'. Don't let that word 'council' fool you.
Then you say:

My question to you all is; how can this help or hinder the development of personality? What sort of personality elements / traits can this sort of free play help to create? Conversely, can this sort of play enable children to display personality elements / traits which we as adults consider to be problematic or worrying for future life? (the obvious question then would be, how can we as fallible adults proscribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting ethically?)

OK, the 'this' meaning 'free play (as defined by you)' I take it. So your question is : "how can 'free play(ADBY)' help or hinder the development of personality?

The question is similar to this one: "how can 'running' help or hinder the development of personality? or this one:"how can 'breathing' help or hinder the development of personality? or this one:"how can 'football' help or hinder the development of personality?

The answer is: yes it can, in various ways. It's not a very good question. Then you ask: "What sort of personality elements / traits can this sort of free play help to create? " Another non-useful question. The answer is similarly: any or all or none, it depends.

Not that we know what 'personality' is yet... This is not yet physics, where we can prove that I have a gram of iron in my hand...

Then you say: "Conversely, can this sort of play enable children to display personality elements / traits which we as adults consider to be problematic or worrying for future life? (the obvious question then would be, how can we as fallible adults proscribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting ethically?)"

(BTW, the first question here is not a converse of the previous ones. I think you mean 'on the other hand')
Again the answer is: 'yes, play can enable children to display personality elements / traits which we as adults consider to be problematic or worrying for future life' As can breathing or running - example: running away from a crime, or running to call 999 for an ambulance.
Play can also help them to hide 'personality elements / traits which we as adults consider to be problematic or worrying for future life'. Some children can run, but they stroll, willfully concealing their running from us.
Hold on, I hear you cry, that's not what I meant. Well, what did you mean? If I accept the notion of 'personality elements / traits' what then? Let's say I don't like football supporters. Is that a 'personality element or trait'? Hmmm, tricky. OK how about 'quick to anger' is that a 'personality element or trait'? Many people are quick to anger. Should something be done about that? Why? Or if you disagree, why not? What is the role of society towards 'personality elements or traits'? Currently we only lock people up for getting angry and killing someone, we don't lock them up just for being shoutily angry or being 'likely to be angry'. Society has attitudes and views about anti-social behaviour. It may punish it in various ways, There are many and various anti-social behaviours. The problem is: which ones? Throwing stones at women who have sex with more than one person? That's a civic duty in some countries in the Middle East. Who decides? Parents? You? We? Who is 'we'?
You bury an additional question, confusingly in brackets: "how can we as fallible adults proscribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting ethically?"
This question is so messed up it is unreal. Removing all the flim-flam from it gives us this:
how can we proscribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting?
I've explored 'social setting' above, I think, when I talked about 'society' Not sure, mind you, what a 'social setting' is. Does it involve other people? If I smash up my furniture in my own house that's up to me. If smash up my furniture in the middle of a pedestrian area near some shops but it is 4 am and no one is there and I take home all the resultant litter is that still ok? Was it anti-social?
OK, here's an answer: However we like. We can forbid anything we like. Enforcement is another matter. In my house I forbid smoking, pretty successfully. I fail to forbid it in my local boozer, unfortunately.
Look up the meaning of 'proscribe' = 'forbid, esp. by law'. Did you mean 'prescribe'? Look that up = 'The verbs prescribe and proscribe do not have the same meaning. Prescribe is a much more common word than proscribe and means either ‘issue a medical prescription’ or ‘recommend with authority’:: the doctor prescribed antibiotics. Proscribe, on the other hand, is a formal word meaning ‘condemn or forbid’: | gambling was strictly proscribed by the authorities.'
So let's try: 'how can we prescribe what elements of a developing child are acceptable in a social setting?'
Again the answer is: However we like. We can write them on paper, speak them , lobby for laws to be passed.
We being your fallible adults. If the government wants to it can pass laws, fairly easily, this government having an almost unrivaled law-making propensity. Getting judges, police and other agencies to enforce the laws is trickier. Ensuring justice as opposed to legality even more so.
I'm going to duck 'ethically' for now, for reasons of space, and boredom. Look it up. But I would say that 'as fallible adults', I'd careful about pre- or pro-scribing anything...
Then you finish by asking:

"Are there any research papers / projects / theories –current, disproven or ongoing with regards to their validity which would show these findings- in both respects- pro for con? The more obscure and interesting the better!"

My answer: "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that." (It's a quote, google it)

Are you asking us to do your homework for you?

Most of us out here don't have any the vast resources available to you. As a student you have libraries, free time for study, free internet access to masses of journals which would cost a fortune if you had to buy them, the support of lecturers, researchers, and peers. Apart from those of us lucky enough to be in universities as students or staff, we have none of that. Did the dog eat your library card?

You must use the force of your mind and brain some more, Luke.
Use well your privileged and precious time at university, you must.

I am doing you a favour.
Good luck.





Posted by: Peter Megginson, Community Education tutor, SparkBridge Futures, -1 June 2020, 1-:26

We recently did research on Forest Schools and how early years and primary school settings use the outdoors for learning. Free play came through as an important motivator and support for learning in both FS and mainstream settings. Opportunities for creativity and critical thinking were especially highlighted. If anyone is interested in this research, please email and I can send electronic copies of our reports.
Posted by: Sue Waite, Research fellow, University of Plymouth, -1 June 2020, 1-:24

How many times have we observed child(ren) engaged in drawing, painting or constructing something and been tempted to comment, "oh look you've made a..."? How many times do we have to remind people who think they are playworkers that making the puppet "Right" is not the important bit.
As playworkers we should not be too concerned about the product, it is the process that is important. If this is true for puppets and masks, how much more true for the development of personality? To try and predict the potential adult personality by observing play behaviour in children seems to me to be a very dangerous, albeit tempting activity.
I believe that freely chosen play can indeed provide children with the opportunity to exhibit behaviour that many adults will find disturbing or worrying and that is precisely why we need good playworkers. As a child I behaved in many worrying ways (please post in anyone who didn't, we'd like to annalyse you). I was lucky, I had space away from adults and was brought up by adults who did, "trust the child".
This is not to say that children can and do behave in ways that are unnaceptable, nor that we shouldn't move certain play behaviour on a bit. But let's try to resist the temptation to predict what sort of adults might be emerging and which bit of freedom we should encourage or limit in an attempt to steer that process towards our vision of a rounded adult. The process of childhood is a journey towards the world in which they will live, not the one in which we would like them to live. That's a tough call. In comes playwork ethics debate.
Children and their peers have some fairly refined mechanisms for regulating themselves and others already in place and if you're looking for positive personality traites emerging from freely chosen play, development of these social skills may be worth considering as a counterpoint to our fear of the hoards of psychopaths attending our provision.
If you're calling for obscure and interesting articles I will asume you've read plenty of Bob Hughes. However, perhaps it would be a good time to re-visit. "Trust the child", the process of growing up is messy and often ugly. But it is the process that we are trying to support otherwise we are two steps away from, "David, is that a drawing of a mad axeman chopping up babies?"
"No sir, it's tinkerbell sprinkling fairy dust on the lost boys!"
Of course I welcome the accusation that I'm idealistic and naive, what do you expect after a childhood torturing insects and syblings, chucking bangers at old men, steeling from parents and classmates, stripping the girls in the garage, abusing my teachers, abusing myself and more I'd rather not share.

Posted by: Chris Southern, Play Development Officer, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, -1 June 2020, 1-:24

Wow, what a question. As an early years practitioner - play is always high on the agenda. The term 'free'play is one I don't use or hear very often. 'Child initiated' play - were children follow their own interests - is the term used in education circles. Were play is initiated by the child, observation shows that children have high levels of involvement and are highly motivated in what ever task they are doing. (Frere Levers - Research in Belgium sorry tried to check spelling!). During this type of play a true picture of a childs level of achievement in any given area can be seen. Creativity and imagination are develop during play.
There are many young children and adults that actually don't know how to play. (Due to lack of opportunity) We therefore I believe, as a society, are breeding a population of uncreative and unimaginative people.
Could go on and on. Yes there is lots and lots of research - validating play as key to young children development. Go on to the web and read - Montessorri and Froebel look at the Reggio Schools in Italy and the Forest Schools in Norway.
Posted by: Jean Jensen, Curriculum Support Teacher, Early years and Childcare Team, -1 June 2020, 1-:16