Creating Tools to Increase Play Opportunities for Children and Families

By: Claudine Champion, former Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, Centre for Healthy Communities

November 19, 2021

Claudine is a former Knowledge Mobilization Specialist with the Centre for Healthy Communities. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s in Health Messaging. She has previously worked for Alberta Health Services in the area of Mental Health and Addictions, the Government of Alberta in Physical Activity and Recreation, and the University of Alberta for the SIRCLE lab and the Centre for Healthy Communities. During her time with the Centre for Healthy Communities she helped develop the Mobile Adventure Playground and Play Declaration tools. Claudine is passionate about knowledge mobilization and health communication. 

Think back to those exciting times during your childhood that involved free play. Did this involve creative play inside like dress up or imaginative play? Or were you outside with friends exploring the natural world around you? What memories stick out?

These memories reinforce that a child’s life is a life of play. Children not only WANT to play, it’s essential to their health and development. In fact, play is so important, it’s actually included in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Play encourages creativity, social skills, resilience, and increased physical activity – all  crucial building blocks for healthy childhood development and lifelong wellbeing.

Two ways you can increase access to play in your community are by creating a local Play Declaration and a Mobile Adventure Playground. We know that access to safe, outdoor, child-led play opportunities are not equal. These initiatives can provide safe and diverse play opportunities to all children regardless of where they live, their age and skills, and the socioeconomic background of their families.

Play Declarations

A Play Declaration is a formal, signed commitment for communities or municipalities to share a vision for play. This commitment is created and supported by organizations within the community or municipality. Play Declarations can have a national scope (for example, Canada has recently released their Play Declaration; Australia, Scotland and England have also created Play Declarations). Play Declarations can also be local in scope, and be championed by organizations (as was the case for the City of Lethbridge) and/or by a municipality (as was the case for the City of Calgary).

Mobile Adventure Playgrounds

Adventure Playgrounds have been around for over 70 years and are permanent or fixed play spaces specifically for child-led play. A Mobile Adventure Playground is similar to adventure playgrounds however the key difference is they are designed to move from place to place throughout a community. They are dynamic outdoor spaces that contain a variety of materials and loose parts – e.g., wood, tires, tape, rope, fabric, and cardboard.

New Tools to Help Get Communities Started in Supporting Children’s Play

The Centre for Healthy Communities (CHC) has been working in partnership with Alberta Recreation and Parks Association and the Government of Alberta. Through this multi-year partnership, a series of tools to support children’s play in communities across Alberta and Canada have been created. In 2019, the CHC created two detailed ‘How to Guides’ for practitioners.

Building on feedback from stakeholders about the how-to guides, the CHC developed shorter tools aimed specifically at decision-makers and elected officials.

These tools highlight the current research on play, the benefits of increased play opportunities, the ‘value on investment’ that a focus on play can have, and also showcase successful Alberta case studies.

To supplement, the above tools a webinar aimed at practitioners was developed to highlight the importance of play, provide details on starting either a Mobile Adventure Playground or Play Declaration, and how to get ‘buy-in’ from decision-makers.

Check out these tools and share within your networks to increase opportunities for Albertan children and families to play!