Often when we think of play, we picture children aged somewhere between 2-11 years old. Children who are moving their bodies for the joy of it, who are bringing some imaginary world to life, who are making something for the fun of it. They might be alone or they might be working in cooperation with other children.
But we don’t stop playing when we become teenagers. We need not ever stop playing, although the impulse wanes and the ways we play change.
Something happens to how we view play when the players in question are teenagers. A lot of what teenagers are playing with are social rules and concepts like friendship, power, rules. They are finding out about their place in the world and the complex societies they find themselves in. Their play is often seen as more of a nuisance; too loud, too boisterous, inappropriate. The lines between what can be called play and what is something else becomes blurred. It is not a new development that society looks for ways to contain and control teenage play behaviour and to label it as anti social. However, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of secondary schools who have sought to tightly control their students, not just in the classroom but in the playground and beyond. There are schools who don’t allow running in the playground, who don’t allow young people to touch each other. Where teenager’s unstructured time is viewed not just as a waste of time but a potential risk.
I had the pleasure recently to run a workshop alongside Rob Wheway from the Children’s Play Advisory Service at a secondary school in Camden who have been trying a different approach.
Five years ago the school put in new and challenging play equipment in their playground. It has been a massive hit with the students. Rob and myself spoke to the staff who supervise the structures during break and lunch times about the safe use of the structures. I facilitated discussions and shared some tips on supervising older children at play, in what was a really productive afternoon.
It was great to see a school that recognises their student’s need to blow off steam and enjoy unstructured time within the school day; a school where staff are willing to engage with some of the complexities that come from supervising the hustle and bustle of large groups of teens at play.
Thanks to Rob from the Children’s Play Advisory Service and the school.
To find out more about workshops in school and advocating for the play of older children, please get in contact.
Sarah Wilson 