What should be the role of adults in supporting, partnering or regulating young children’s play activities in different contexts?

It is significant to realize here that children are innocent in the world of adults and they lack the knowledge that adults have. Children play with everything that they find interesting and that is one of the best aspects about being a child. You don’t know what you are doing but you just want to have fun. However, adults have the information that they lack and that is why they try to control children. The practice of making both children and kids work is child labor and children cannot stop it. Adults have to know the significance of their play and they should spread awareness so that others know how important it really is for a child to play. First of all, adults should conduct events at the local level so that people know what play means to children. Then, this awareness should be spread in such a way that parents come to know that their children need to play and not to work. Lastly, activities have to be carried out for making children play and live a life free of labor.

What can be learned from young children themselves about the importance and meaning they attach to their play, and how can this inform policies and practices?

By observing the children playing, it would be understood that children don’t particularly play when there is something worrying them or stressing them out. For instance, if a child’s mother is weeping then it is more likely that he or she will start crying himself even if other children are playing. He will not join them and what is even more important to recognize is that children learn a lot about society as they play. For them to be both physically and psychologically stable, they have to play because their personality develops as they play. It implies that for children to nurture, play has to be promoted. Moreover, child labor takes their humanity away and that is why it has to be stopped by forming policies

Why Does Play Matter?

How can mothers and other early caregivers be encouraged to understand their crucial role in supporting play from the earliest months, including through parenting courses and more informal sources of support?

In order to make both early caregivers and mothers understand the importance of play and their supportive role in it, it is important to make them aware about it. However, what is significant here is that both caregivers and mothers ought to be educated. Without education, it is more than just a little difficult to teach them about the importance of play and how they can be a part of their child’s nurture. In order to handle this situation, basic education has to be spread first. Moving on, the soon-to-be mothers should participate in courses where they will know how they can participate in this play. In order to make this learning more attractive, both practical and visual help is necessary. It must be conveyed to them children learn through play and it can play a major part in building them up.

Is there a risk that the importance of play will be underestimated because it is by definition most often ‘playful’, ‘imaginative’ and ‘fun’?

 More than just a risk, it actually exists in the society that people underestimate the meaning of play because in society, most of the people believe play to be another term of either fun or playful. Rather than going deeper into what it really means and how it contributes to the social, mental, and physical development of children, they stick to the conventional meaning of play and that is why they don’t play a supportive role in ensuring that children are engaged in play activities. In fact, it can be said that children are often restricted from playing because they are believed to be having fun and not learning about the society. This is the truth about how the society works and due to it, children are unable to learn.

2.      Threats to play, opportunities to play

What are the risks to children’s well-being in situations where they have little space for rest, leisure and play, due to the pressures on their time from school attendance as well as after-school coaching, or their need to combine school with agricultural work or other economic activity and domestic chores?

First of all, there is a risk that the pressure of formal education can not only restrict the learning of children but it can also dull their imagination. Secondly, there is a risk that children might not be physically active if all they do is sit in a classroom and study books. Sometimes, children learn faster when they are allowed the freedom to do what they want. For instance, in the art classroom, imagination of children will be nurtured if they are allowed to make anything they want with the clay or anything that they like. The final risk is that being bound to a tough routine without play can make children socially inactive and they might even be unable to interact as they grow up.

What steps are required to protect children from potentially detrimental effects of modern technologies while encouraging the potential for extending their imagination and skills?

 First of all, it is important to realize that modern technology is quite addictive and it can also restrict play activities of children rather than promoting them. That is why, caregivers should let children utilize technology for a specific time only. Moving on, technology must be used only for learning purposes and not for entertainment. Instructors and caregivers have to let the children be more interested in learning physically and not electronically. While all this technology is being used, physical activity of children should still be held at the utmost priority. Their play has to be considered the most significant.