The Right to Play

All children have the right to play as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

This is recognised both by the UK Government, and by the Welsh Assembly Government.  Article 31 of the Convention says: 

Every child has the right 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.

The Welsh Assembly Government upholds children's right to play in its Play Policy.  This is much more detailed than the UN Convention, providing definitions, and emphasising the need for the provision of play environments that compensate for the loss of spaces and opportunities to play that children and young people experience in today's world.

The Children's Commissioner's Office in Wales, which monitors and champions children and young people's rights, has stated that time and space to play is a matter of entitlement. 

They say, 'Through all aspects of our work and particularly through our direct work with children and young people, we know that the provision of quality places, spaces and time for play is one of their key priorities.' 

The International Play Association is an international organisation promoting the child's right to play.