Submitted by participants at the LIFT OFF Schools Forum, March 08
Concerns/Issues around this right
Do parents understand and value the importance of play and the learning that is taking place?
How much time should be devoted to play?
Can a child say ‘no’ to playing with other children?
What about sanctions?
How much play should be ‘structured’ and how much should be ‘free’?
Put children in charge of playground rules.
Curriculum links
Curriculum Area Learning Intention Language & Literacy Develop talking and listening skills
Develop negotiation skills
Develop all aspects of negotiation
Learn the vocabulary of play
Mathematics Problem solving
Processing and being able to think independently
Time allocation
Arts Education Visual representation of rules
Songs/ instruments from other cultures
The World Around Us/ To learn games from other countries
SESE To learn games from parents and grandparents
Discuss pictures depicting children playing in other
countries
PDMU / SPHE Develop skills of turn taking
Understand the importance of rules
Develop the ability to express an opinion
Personal safety
P.E. Learn and practice dances and games from other
countries
ICT Develop research skills
Sample Activities
Right Start age range (4 – 7 years old)
P.E.: Let the children decide what activities they’d like to play in Golden Time
Mathematics: Devise block graphs with the children to illustrate their favourite leisure activities.
PDMU/ SPHE: Discuss the importance of taking turns and sharing when playing together.
Lift Off age range (7 – 9 years old) Language & Literacy: Invite e.g. one of the children’s grandparents to the school to talk about the games they used to play when they were at school.
Ask the children to interview other people e.g. at home, from a school they are linking with, on their favourite play activities.
Ask EAL or Traveller children to explain and demonstrate some of the games that they might play that are different from those that the other children already know.
Produce posters/ leaflets to illustrate how particular games are played. These could be aimed at an audience of younger children.
ICT: Use the internet to carry out research on games that have been played throughout the ages.
Prepare a powerpoint presentation based on the research to be shown to the class or during a school assembly.
P.E.: Let the children play some of the games that they have researched.
Mathematics: Work on percentages and ratios to illustrate the amount of time in the school day allocated to play.
PDMU/ SPHE: How should we treat each other in the playground? Why is it important to make sure that we include others in our games?
Me, You, Everyone age range (9 – 11 years old) ICT: Use the internet to carry out research on games that have been played throughout the ages.
Prepare a powerpoint presentation based on the research to be shown to the class or during a school assembly.
The World Around Us /SESE: Let the children compare and contrast games that they like to play with games that their parent, grandparents and great-grandparents might have played.
PDMU: How can we make sure that everyone in the playground is enjoying their right to play.
School Linking
Two schools from Dublin and Belfast are linking up around the Right to Play. Each school is devising new games for their playground which promote inclusion. The partner school will try out the games in their playground and suggest possible improvements. One of the schools is developing a mural for the playground based on the right to play.
