Protecting children’s right to play
BRAC has worked tirelessly in Bangladesh, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, mobilising national governments and capturing the voices of children and youth, to emphasise why play is essential for them
Play needs to be recognised as a fundamental right for every child. We are one step closer to achieving that vision, as the United Nations General Assembly has very recently ratified an International Day of Play (IDOP), to be celebrated every year on 11 June.
BRAC's commitment to changing lives in the Global South was critical in this effort. We are thrilled to be a founding member of the initiative to ratify IDOP, a movement spearheaded by the LEGO Foundation. Our staff has worked tirelessly in Bangladesh, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, mobilising national governments and capturing the voices of children and youth, to emphasise why play is essential for them.
Our years at BRAC have taught us just how much potential play holds to change children's lives, especially in the early years, when most brain development occurs. Play is what underpins learning and all aspects of child development. Children play naturally and spontaneously, in almost any environment, using minimal resources.
Through play, children feel happiness and joy. They learn to think and solve problems, make friends, regulate emotions, be resilient, show imagination, and express themselves confidently. The role of adults in children's play is critical, as they provide the time, space, and resources to create safe but challenging environments where children can play freely.
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In educational settings, play has been recognised as an effective pedagogical tool to engage students actively in the learning process, making learning more enjoyable and relevant.
We have worked extensively on the ground to promote the power of play, and have explored the pedagogy and process of play to understand its impact. We have examined play from different perspectives, integrating it with mental health, spatial design, climate change, and child protection across humanitarian and non-humanitarian settings in different countries.
We are one of the pioneers in the Global South to highlight the importance of play as a powerful tool for learning and healing.
In 2016, we started with the Play Lab model for children aged three to five in low-resource settings. Play Labs are fun, vibrant spaces with enthusiastic highly-trained facilitators, locally made play materials, and an evidence-based curriculum crafted by experts in child development, education, and mental health, with activities tailored to reflect local traditions and culture, that aim to give children the early start they deserve.
Play Labs also engage caregivers and communities, empowering them with knowledge about early childhood development. We operate Play Labs in community settings and in government schools, and the Play Lab principles have been adopted by governments in several countries across Africa and Asia, reflecting our commitment to scaling within national systems.
A two-year research study in Bangladesh led by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK and Columbia University in the USA showed that Play Labs significantly improved the development outcomes of children who enrolled in them. Play Labs also promoted equity, as demonstrated by the substantial progress observed in children who initially scored below average upon entry.
Over time, these children caught up with their peers who had started with the highest scores.
Furthermore, Play Labs equipped parents and facilitators with the knowledge to support children's growth. This research shows that children's development can be promoted through play, using minimal resources.
In 2017, we adapted the Play Lab model for humanitarian and crisis settings in the Rohingya camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The Humanitarian Play Lab (HPL) model we developed integrates play-based learning with psycho-social support from trained para-counsellors, and is designed using a community-based participatory approach, placing indigenous cultural practices at the heart.
The HPL model aims to promote positive developmental outcomes for children and instil a sense of pride and belonging in displaced communities. This experience made us understand the significance of play as a tool for healing, not just for children but for their families and communities.
Recently, our research in Bangladesh with PEDAL (Play in Education, Development, and Learning) at the University of Cambridge has shown us first-hand how play gives children a voice and instils in them a sense of confidence.
Play is a universal language spoken by people of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions, and cultures, though its vocabulary and grammar may differ from context to context. However, it is estimated that today, around the world, 160 million children are working instead of playing or learning.
Only one in four children play regularly out on their streets compared to their grandparents' generation, where almost three out of four said they played outside a few times a week as children. We know that this reduction in opportunities for play for today's generation will have negative effects on children's well-being and development. We urgently need policies and funding to integrate play across educational and community settings.
An International Day of Play (IDOP) creates a unifying moment at global, national, and local levels to make play a priority for all children. Together we can create a world where children have a more playful future.
Dr Erum Mariam is the Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
