CHILDREN
HAVE THE RIGHT TO PLAY AND SEEK INFORMATION OF ALL KINDS, EVEN IF IT MAKES US
ADULTS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
I have done
many workshops about play and when I ask the participants, “Why have you stopped,
restricted, or banned children’s play?” they usually state one of the following:
the children were going to get hurt, the behaviour was going to get out of
control, the behaviour was disrupting the learning environment because it had escalated
into loud and rough types of play; or the focus of the play promoted an
inappropriate concept, seemed violent, and/or was aggressive. The participants
who admitting feeling comfortable with more controversial play themes were still
worried about the judgment of others, whether it was parents, coworkers or
others in the community. They were worried that others would view the play,
they were letting the children do, as wrong and/or they would tell a higher authority
about it. Such as, CFS, their Directors, or their Coordinators.
In truth, these
are all valid reasons why caregivers want to stop play. I myself have stopped
play for these same reasons. However, I have realized that it is not respectful
to the children and their right to play.
This right
to play has been clearly defined by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Since Canada is one of many countries that has signed the Convention, I
feel that it is our duty as Early Childhood Educators, parents, and community
members to help children maintain and fight for those rights. According to Article
13.1 in the Convention:
THE CHILD
SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; THIS RIGHT SHALL INCLUDE FREEDOM
TO SEEK, RECEIVE AND IMPART INFORMATION AND IDEAS OF ALL KINDS, REGARDLESS OF
FRONTIERS, EITHER ORALLY, IN WRITING OR IN PRINT, IN THE FORM OF ART, OR
THROUGH ANY OTHER MEDIA OF THE CHILD'S CHOICE.
By this
definition, a child has the right to express themselves though play, and if it
is a concept or topic that is a little controversial (e.g. gun play, death,
marriage equality), it is important that we help children seek honest, unbiased
information about the topic based on their age and understanding…even if it
makes us uncomfortable. By doing so we will help them learn how to form their
own opinions about what they believe. For example, is it okay to hunt animals? There
are many sides to this topic and all should be explored. You may be surprised
with what they think or how much they know about the topic. As an adult, you probably
already have your opinion on this topic, but can you put that aside so children
can learn to make their own?
Not only is
it a child’s right to play but also to seek information of all kinds. We should
not conceal any topic or type of play if the child is interested. But what
happens when we do? The child will try to understand about this topic through
their play, but without us knowing. They will try to hide their interest, which
will either make them really good at deceiving us and/or they will continue to
figure it out with the feeling of guilt for doing so. They will also feel they
will not be able to discuss the topic with you. Gun play is one example of such
a topic.
Before
starting a ‘gun play project’ with a group of 5 and 6 year old children, I had
seen a few children making guns out of Lego. When I asked them if they were
making guns, they quickly said, “No, it’s a laser”. Even though I knew they
were deceiving me, it closed the discussion because they were scared they were
going to get in trouble. This really
bothered me that they did not feel comfortable talking to me about their
interest, and I knew that they would learn more about guns by other means. This
was when I realized that I needed to change so they could use me as a resource
for their learning. I needed to follow the child’s interest even if the topic
was something we commonly restrict like gun play. By doing so we could research
their interest together and really look at all sides of the topic. What do they want to know? What
do they believe? What do others believe? And why? I could help them become even better
researchers and help them figure out what they wanted to learn.
LET THE CHILDREN PLAY, SUPPORT THEIR
RIGHTS AND BE THE RESOURCE THEY NEED.
“Canada
became a signatory to the U.N. Convention on the rights of the child on May 28,
1990 and it was ratified on December 13, 1991.”
Stay tuned for: Let
the Children Play (Part 2): It’s a Need
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