All children have the right to play

Orchard Nursery School

Play Policy

July 2004

The Nursery believes that all children have the right to play and that learning through play is the most powerful way of learning and exploring the world.

The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by the United Kingdom in 1991 and adopted by Hampshire in 1995.

Article 31:

1 – States Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

2 – States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

What is play?

Play is an essential part of every child’s life and vital to their development. It is the way children explore the world around them and develop and practise skills. It is essential for physical, emotional and spiritual growth, for intellectual and educational development, and for acquiring social and behavioural skills. Play is a generic term applied to a wide range of activities and behaviours that are satisfying to the child, creative for the child, and freely chosen by the child. Children play on their own and with others. Their play may be boisterous and energetic or quiet and contemplative, light-hearted or very serious.

Play promotes children’s development, learning, creativity and independence it allows children to find out about themselves, their abilities and their interests.
Play keeps children healthy and active – active children become active adults. Play gives children the chance to let off steam and have fun.
Play fosters social inclusion. It helps children understand the people and places in their lives, learn about their environment and develop their sense of community
Play is therapeutic. It helps children to deal with difficult or painful circumstances, such as emotional stress or medical treatment

Reproduced from the National Children’s Bureau

Aims for Play

To promote the importance of play for all children.
To recognise that all children have the right to play (as stated in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child).
To enable all children to have equal access to good quality play opportunities.

Objectives for Play

To support and encourage children’s own ideas and decisions about what they do and how they do it ensuring children are given opportunities to make choices within play to support their development.
To ensure that children are given appropriate adult time and attention during child-centred play.
To promote the development of inclusion play opportunities which take into account and respond to children’s different abilities and needs, their age, gender, cultural and religious backgrounds, social, family, economic and environmental situations.
To ensure that all children are respected and valued so that they can play free from racial or other types of discrimination or abuse and have equal access to good quality play opportunities and services, both indoors and outdoors.
To develop varied play opportunities which challenge and stimulate children’s abilities but not threaten their survival or well-being.

Planning and Assessment

The staff at The Orchard Nursery School will follow the children’s play interests, developing their learning through the play that they direct. The children will be consulted regularly about their learning and what they would like to explore as well as the staff using careful observations of the children to show an interest that can be developed. All children will have a Daily Dairy which will show progress and the children’s activities will be annotated. These observations will feed into the planning and development of new play experiences. The play seen will be related to the Early Learning Goals in record keeping.

Health and safety

Any tools, premises or staff and/or the relevant professionals will regularly check equipment. Use of tools or equipment, man made or natural will be supervised and stored correctly. Wheelchair access is provided to the building.

Parents

Parents will be encouraged to understand the importance of play as a child’s primary learning tool.

Parent will have a copy of this policy.

Written July 2004 AJH Review September 06

Reviewed and amended September 06

Review September 2008