Play and Social Justice

The importance of play for healthy development is undeniable. Aspects of play have been linked to the development of social skills, health and fitness, motivation, curiosity, innovation, imagination, and problem solving. Both theory and research suggest that play of various types is critical for healthy development and that playfulness is an important quality across the life span. However, opportunities to play and quality of play facilities in schools, after-school programs, childcare centers, community parks, and museums are not equitable by race, socio-economic status, and ability. And racial profiling, immigrant status, illness, and incarceration interfere with child’s play. The first section of the book defines play and social justice and describes disparities in play opportunities in childcare, schools, and communities as well as inequities in how play is interpreted. The next section describes pre-school, elementary, high school, and university programs that use play to liberate, teach, and build community as well as after-school, hospital, and community programs that help to level the playing field of opportunity. The final part of the book discusses ways to ameliorate inequities through research and advocacy. Four research methods are described that are useful for conducting studies on the amount of play children experience, attitudes toward play, and the effect of play on other variables. Finally, a child, a parent, and a teacher describe ways they tried to obtain more recess, using various methods of advocacy. The appendix provides resources indispensable for those convinced that play for all is indeed a social justice issue worthy of advocacy.

Olga S. Jarrett (PhD, Georgia State University) is Professor Emerita in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University. She is a play researcher and evaluator, former president of both TASP and IPAUSA, and recipient of the Martin Luther King Faculty Torch of Peace Award (GSU) and awards from TASP, US Play Coalition, IPAUSA, and the NAEYC Play, Policy, and Practice Interest Forum. Vera L Stenhouse (PhD, Emory University) is an inter- and multi-disciplinary educator, independent researcher, evaluator, and facilitator with a focus on the sociopolitical contexts of teaching and learning, K-12 through higher education. Stenhouse has presented and written about play and social justice and encourages playful/experiential pedagogical practices when teaching and learning. John A. Sutterby (PhD, University of Texas Austin) is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio and a former president of The Association for the Study of Play. Dr. Sutterby’s research interests include outdoor play environments, family involvement, and working with families of English language learners. Michael M. Patte (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is Professor of Early Childhood Education and Program Coordinator for the Child Life Specialist and Playwork Programs at Bloomsburg University. He is a visiting scholar in the Play, Education, Toys, and Language (PETaL) – Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Program University of Cordoba (Spain), Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), and Marmara University (Turkey) – and Co-Editor of The International Journal of Play (https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rijp20/current).