Children's time to play: a literature review - Playday

Playday 2009 Make time! Children’s time to play: a literature review
9. Differences in children’s time to play
Constraints on children’s free time may vary in accordance with age, gender
and ethnicity, amongst other social factors. Mayall (2000a) notes that the
older children in secondary schools were more likely to have more homework
commitments than the primary-aged children. In Mayall’s study it was notable
that older girls, particularly those of Asian origin, were also more likely to have
more responsibilities in terms of childcare and housework. Academic success
seemed to be valued highly amongst Asian families and parents of Asian
children seemed to focus their time investing in their children’s future career,
and had higher concerns over homework. It is unclear whether these finding
are supported elsewhere.
Many of the children in Mayall’s study emphasised the move from ‘child’ to
‘teen’ at the age of 13. Younger children felt this age represented a significant
transition in terms of how their free time is organised, believing that their
teenage years will offer them greater choice and agency over their free time.
In reality, this seemed not to be the case as the 13-year-olds in the study did
not feel a greater sense of freedom as, even if they were allowed out of the
house more, they had greater homework pressures (Mayall 2000a).
There is evidence to suggest that disabled children may encounter further
barriers that prevent them from spending their free time playing. A survey of
1,085 parents across the UK found that parents of disabled children were
often wary of taking their children out to play because of the various problems
they face in doing so. Amongst other findings, 68 per cent of parents claimed
that either they or their children would feel uncomfortable, as the public realm
does not accommodate their needs, or represent disabled children. A further
55 per cent of parents stated that taking their children to play meant travelling
for miles to find appropriate facilities. Such difficulties could mean that
disabled children may find it particularly difficult to spend their free time
playing with others (Shelley 2002).
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