Advocacy

WA Play Charter champions the value of play as fundamental to children’s development

Freya Lucas

Apr 20, 2021

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Nature Play WA have called for those West Australians who are passionate about the value of play in the lives of children to endorse the recently released WA Play Charter, and to do their part to help elevate play into the deliberations of decision makers, and to propel a community conversation about why play matters for children.

The organisation collaborated with Early Childhood Australia, Play Australia, and the other members of the Play Matters Collective to launch the charter, which is supported by Commissioner for Children and Young People, Colin Pettit.

The Charter is a simple one-page document created by the Play Matters Collective, that lays out some of the first-principles of why play matters, and establishes some common language to help advocate for play.

“Play is all too often relegated to an afterthought. It is thought of as the bit of fun that happens after all the important stuff is done,” Nature Play spokesperson Griffin Longley said.

“Or worse yet, it isn’t thought about at all. It is silent in the ‘serious’ discussions, and absent from the plans, strategies, and policies that are intended to make the lives of children better.”

“We talk about children’s health, cognitive development, social and emotional intelligence, and wellbeing through the prism of education, the health system, sport, and even economics. But when we leave play out of the discussion we miss a huge portion of the experience of childhood, and we are poorer for that.”

To endorse the WA Play Charter, please see here.

Pictured in the main image are Play Matters Collective Steering Committee Members, (L-R) - Marcelle Saratsis, Kerry Logan, Sebastian Della Maddalena, Griffin Longley, Dr Jane Merewether, Dr Sandra Hesterman and Jayne Kaiko.

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