Sport New Zealand looks to promote ‘under threat’ childrens play

With Play Week Aotearoa 2023 set to commence as of 6th November, Sport New Zealand is encouraging children and their families/carers to find ways to play.

Aiming to highlight the value of play and the importance of ensuring children have quality play opportunities and experiences, Play Week Aotearoa 2023 is about developing and practicing life skills, improving social and emotional connection, and creating platforms for a life of physical activity and wellbeing.

However, Sport NZ research shows the number of hours that children are engaging in play is in decline - from 7.2 hours per week in 2018 to 6.9 hours per week in 2022.

Explaining that while the hours that children are playing are in decline, the way they play is also under threat, Sport NZ Play Manager, Scott Mackenzie advises “this can often be due to safety concerns and time spent on devices so we need to ensure tamariki (children) and whānau (family groups) understand that play can happen anywhere and everywhere - so it happens more often.

"Play is not limited to playgrounds or parks. We want tamariki and whānau to take time out from their weekly activities and just play - whether it’s at home, in the garden, or on the way to school.

“If you have a box - you have play, if you have a tree - you have play. It really is everywhere.

Sport NZ supports the Neighbourhood Play System (NPS) approach to play - which brings together schools, local organisations and community groups who work together to bring play projects to life that suit the needs of family groups in the places they live.

Mackenzie notes that, at the heart of this policy is giving user a voice around how they want to play,, adding “tamariki are critical to the success of the NPS because we need to know where they play, how they play, and what might be preventing them from playing - either at home, at school or in their neighbourhoods.

“A child’s earliest physical experiences are through play, and it allows them to experience fun, joy and laughter in ways that are important to them, and in doing so develop key skills that will help keep them active for life.”

Sport Bay of Plenty supports the NPS, and Regional Play System lead Steph Reichardt says there have been some great ideas from tamariki, including implementing ‘Play on the Way’ where students helped design and draw hopscotch, footprints and mazes in alley ways alongside two schools in the Bay area.*

Reichardt advises “it was wonderful to see the students engaged in helping bring ‘Play on the Way’ to life and to see the satisfaction once they had completed the project, and the fun they had using it.

“Our young people are so full of ideas and suggestions to make the spaces they move through more user friendly - we really just have to talk to them.”

Play Week Aotearoa 2023, which runs from Monday until Sunday 12th November, is being promoted across by organisations including Regional Sports Trusts, Councils and schools, in an effort to share the importance of play and show that anyone can participate, anywhere.

For more information about Play Week Aotearoa 2023 and all the events on offer at www.playweek.co.nz

Image: Christchurch's Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Credit: Christchurch City Council.