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About Unstructured Play

Unstructured play is a child's right and is integral to healthy development. It is play where children follow their own ideas without a defined purpose or outcome. Unfortunately children’s access to this type of play is increasingly limited. The goal of this project is to reduce this trend by providing tools and undertaking advocacy.

The term unstructured play does not have an academic definition, but has come to be used as a generic term to represent child-led play that takes place preferably outdoors but also indoors, and includes the concept of risky play. Its use was developed to reflect the concerns of decision-makers regarding the use of the term “risky” to describe play.

CPHA acknowledges and thanks the Lawson Foundation for its generous support. We also thank all those who were funded through the Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy for their continuing support in reviewing and providing directions for various components of this work. We especially thank the Project Advisory Committee for its ongoing direction and support.

Children's Unstructured Play Position Statement

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) recognizes unstructured play as a child’s right and a critical component to child and youth health and well-being. Actions are necessary to reduce the barriers limiting opportunities for unstructured play at school and in the community. CPHA calls upon all parents/caregivers, educators, child care providers, school boards, public health professionals, the private sector and all levels of governments and Indigenous peoples’ governments to improve access to unstructured, child-led play.

Download as PDFChildren's Unstructured Play Position Statement

Explore the Toolkit

Infographics

Promising Practices

Research Summaries

Decision Making Tools

Discussion Document

Explore the Toolkit

Infographics

A series of evidence-based infographics are available that convey the benefits of unstructured play. They can inform decision-making or be shared with parent/guardians to demonstrate the importance of unstructured play.

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Unstructured Play & Mental Health

What Research Tells Us: Unstructured Play Benefits

Unstructured Play: Perceptions vs. Facts

Recess

Promising Practices

Twenty-two promising practices are provided as a means of showing how select communities have improved access to unstructured play. They are grouped according to design, policies, and programs within schools and communities across Canada.

Design

Developing spaces, understanding attitudes, and identifying resources can improve children’s access to unstructured play.

Design :Full resource

Download as PDF : Promising Practices in Canada

Policy - Communities

Access to unstructured play in communities begins with the recognition of the benefits of play in supporting child development and a commitment to supporting programs designed to improve access to play.

Policy - Communities :Full resource

Download as PDF : Promising Practices in Canada

Policy - Schools

Children can spend upwards of 30 hours per week in school. Steps must be taken to permit unstructured play during this period by providing adequate time for recess and other periods of self-directed play.

Policy - Schools :Full resource

Download as PDF : Promising Practices in Canada

Program - Communities

Communities across Canada have developed and implemented unique approaches to improving children’s access to outdoor play. Here are a few examples.

Program - Communities :Full resource

Download as PDF : Promising Practices in Canada

Program - Schools

Schools across Canada recognize the benefits of having children participate in outdoor, child-led play to improve learning. Here are a few examples.

Program - Schools :Full resource

Download as PDF : Promising Practices in Canada

Research Summaries

Seven research summaries have been developed on a variety of topics relating to unstructured play. These summaries can be used to support decision-making or to provide information to parents/guardians.

What is Play?

Play is the business of childhood. It is an integral part of every child’s healthy development and is embedded in Article 31 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children and youth need time, appropriate space, and opportunity to engage in quality play.

What is Play? :Full resource

Download as PDF : What is Play?

Risk, Hazard, and Play: What are Risks and Hazards?

Play is essential for children to develop resiliency and risk management skills that support them in adulthood. The challenge is to recognize the balance between children’s engagement in beneficial risk coupled with avoidance of hazards and danger.

Risk, Hazard, and Play: What are Risks and Hazards? :Full resource

Download as PDF : Risk, Hazard, and Play: What are Risks and Hazards?

Playground Injuries

Despite consistent efforts to make playgrounds safer, injury surveillance data have shown no significant trends in injuries over time. There is consistent evidence showing that falls from heights result in an increased risk of injury and that a maximum height of 1.5 m would yield the greatest benefit for reducing injuries.

Playground Injuries :Full resource

Download as PDF : Playground Injuries (PDF)

Parental Perceptions of Play

Parents' beliefs concerning neighbourhood safety and worries about traffic and “stranger danger” can limit children’s opportunities for independent mobility and unstructured, child-led play. Furthermore, many parents and children believe that most playgrounds do not provide enough challenge which discourages children from engaging with playground equipment.

Parental Perceptions of Play :Full resource

Download as PDF : Parental Perceptions of Play

Educators' Perceptions: Children's Unstructured Play

Educators and school boards in Canada are held to a high standard of care to prevent injury of children. Fear of litigation and its repercussions contribute to strict regulatory environments that limit educators’ pedagogical decision-making. Their practice often emphasizes safety rather than supporting developmentally beneficial children’s unstructured play.

Educators' Perceptions: Children's Unstructured Play :Full resource

Download as PDF : Educators' Perceptions: Chilren's Unstructured Play

Recess

Strategies to increase outdoor play are necessary, but they need to be supported by policies that promote the physical, academic, and social benefits of recess. When recess breaks are extended, more children are engaged and play happens at a more vigorous intensity.

Recess :Full resource

Download as PDF : Recess (PDF)

Accessibility and Usability of Play Spaces

It is important to design inclusive environments that foster the benefits of play for children of all abilities. While this concept is widely recognized, legislation often employs a single solution—the removal of physical barriers.

Accessibility and Usability of Play Spaces :Full resource

Download as PDF : Accessibility and Usability of Play Spaces (PDF)

Decision Making Tools

Six tools have been developed for use by decision makers to improve children’s access to unstructured play. These tools include four approaches to policy development, a summary of the current laws, and responses to frequently asked questions.

Duty of Care Checklist

To understand how to minimize liability and manage risks to a reasonable level while providing children’s unstructured play opportunities.

Duty of Care Checklist :Full resource

Download as PDF : Duty of Care Checklist

Developing a Play Policy

To demonstrate an understanding of play policies that can be applied to an organizational context, in order to collaboratively prepare and implement an effective play policy.

Developing a Play Policy :Full resource

Download as PDF : Developing a Play Policy

Collaborative Decision-Making: Supporting a Balanced Approach to Children’s Unstructured Play

To have the knowledge to conduct a collaborative decision-making process with relevant stakeholders to improve access to high-quality, diverse children’s unstructured play opportunities.

Collaborative Decision-Making: Supporting a Balanced Approach to Children’s Unstructured Play :Full resource

Download as PDF : Collaborative Decision-Making: Supporting a Balanced Approach to Children’s Unstructured Play

Loose Parts Policy

To understand the benefits of a loose parts play policy and have the knowledge to initiate the development and implementation of a local policy.

Loose Parts Policy :Full resource

Download as PDF : Loose Parts Policy

Becoming a Play-Friendly City

To demonstrate an understanding of how to enhance the playability of a municipality.

Becoming a Play-Friendly City :Full resource

Download as PDF : Becoming a Play-Friendly City

Evidence-Based Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

To provide evidence-informed answers to concerns and complaints that could drive risk-mitigating decisions and limit children’s unstructured play.

Evidence-Based Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) :Full resource

Download as PDF : Evidence-Based Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Discussion Document

Underlying access to play are a series of complex problems that are difficult to solve due to incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people or opinions involved, the economic burden, and/or the interconnected nature of the problem with other problems. An in-depth discussion paper was developed which investigated five wicked problems associated with play.

  1. Play is a public health issue
    Children’s access to unstructured play provides the foundation for improved physical, psychological and social health, and supports improved resilience as adults.
  2. The changing face of children in Canada
    Canada has an increasingly diverse population. The number of seniors currently exceeds the number of children and youth. The increasing number of children from immigrant and Indigenous families will require the development of play opportunities that are culturally appropriate and inclusive in nature.
  3. Parental, caregiver and educator perceptions
    Societal pressures and parental attitudes toward supervision and overprotection have increased, resulting, in part, from a changing social climate.
  4. Risk communication
    The way parents, guardians, educators, child care practitioners and decision-makers hear, understand and respond to the environmental influences surrounding them affect children’s access to unstructured play.
  5. Legislation and liability
    The legislative and regulatory authorities that influence children’s access to play are the responsibility of provinces and territories and are found in Acts that deal with education, early childhood care, and liability.
  6. Recommendations
    Recommendations are provided to address the wicked problems that limit access to children's unstructured play.
What’s in the Best Interest of the Child? :Full resource

Download as PDF : What’s in the Best Interest of the Child?

Project Reports

As part of the project, CPHA conducted key informant interviews with legal experts, school boards, insurers and risk managers, municipal council members and department leaders, play researchers, advocates, and workers, as well as playground designers and inspectors and a survey of parents/caregivers to guide development of the toolkit.

Download as PDFSummary Report: Key Informant Interviews

Download as PDFSummary Report: Parent Surveys