Conclusion

In this free course, Children’s perspectives on play, you have been encouraged to think about children’s perspectives on play and how these might differ from, or even support, what adults think play is. The two accounts from parents, Mia and Michael, give emphasis to the ways in which children can use play, notably in spontaneous and intuitive ways, to engage with, enjoy and learn about what is around them. In terms of research, however small or informal the study, there is a need for more enquiries into what young children themselves think about play and why they are compelled to play. It isn’t easy for adults to tap into the views of very young children. However, we hope that this course Young children’s play and creativity will be the beginning of your own explorations as you seek to better support young children, listening to them, respecting their voices and taking their views seriously.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course E110 Young children’s play and creativity [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .