2008: Give us a go!
Playday is the annual celebration of children’s
right to play - a national campaign, which this year culminates on
Wednesday 6 August.
On Playday and throughout the summer of 2008, thousands of
children, young people and communities will get out and play at
hundreds of locally organised events across the UK.
Give us a go!
This year's Playday campaign theme is Give us a
go!
The campaign calls for children to be allowed challenging
and adventurous play opportunities and aims to shake off the
'cotton wool' culture that can limit children’s play.
Key messages to think about are:
- All children need opportunities to take their own risks when
playing; they need and want challenge, excitement and uncertainty
in play.
- Through play, children can learn how to manage challenge and
risk for themselves in everyday situations.
- Opportunities for children to take risks while playing are
reducing, as increasingly health and safety considerations are
impacting on children’s play.
- Adults should provide for children and young people to have
adventurous play opportunities.
Playday research
We have commissioned a comprehensive body of research to support
the Give us a go! campaign. The research explores the
benefits and challenges of enabling children to manage their own
risks whilst playing. We have published in-depth research with
children and young people. For the first time, play providers have
been consulted, to explore the benefits and challenges of enabling
children to manage their own risks whilst playing. A literature
review collating published research relating to the theme is also
available, and national opinion polls of both children and adults
conducted by ICM.
The opinion poll findings show that children are facing serious
restrictions to their opportunities for adventurous play. Half of
children (51%) aged 7-12 years reported they are not allowed to
climb a tree without adult supervision and half (49%) also report
that they have been stopped from climbing trees because it was
considered to be too dangerous.
The research also finds a change in the places where children
and young people today experience adventurous and challenging play.
As children, 70% of adults enjoyed most of their adventures in
natural outdoor environments. This compares with only 29% of
children today as both the space and the freedom to roam has
dramatically declined in recent years. Today, children’s
experiences of adventure are confined to designated areas such as
playgrounds (56%), their homes (48%) or theme parks (44%).
The Playday 2008 research is available here
Playday events
Over 500 events have been organised
to celebrate Playday across the UK.
Whether Wednesday 6 August 2008 is your first Playday or your
21st, what better way to celebrate than by giving children and
young people the chance to play at your very own Playday event?
For advice on how to get involved visit our Playday events pages.
To find your nearest Playday celebrations, take a
look at the events near you pages.