ECA Statement on Play
ABOUT THE STATEMENT ON PLAY
In 2019 ECA convened a multi-disciplinary Advisory Group, with national and international expertise, to advise on ECA’s first Statement on Play for the early childhood sector. You can learn more about the Statement and evidence on the role of play in young children’s lives on these resources and webpages.
This Statement considers play and young children aged from birth to eight years. The right to play, however, extends to every child of any age, ability or background and is relevant in schools and other learning environments, services, and communities in which children participate.
In this document, we highlight the crucial role and expertise of early childhood educators and teachers in supporting young children’s play and promoting awareness of its impacts for the whole child. Families, other adults and entities across the community—through their work and in their homes, venues and services—have a role in creating opportunities for play and removing obstacles to play. The Statement and principles have much to offer other settings and services with an interest in promoting the right of every child to play—they contain transferable concepts that can be taken up in ways that honour the children with whom they work and the context in which they operate. All adults have a stake in the protection, preservation and promotion of children’s play-based learning.
| ECA Statement on Play [PDF file 12Mb] |
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 ECA Statement on Play:Play principles for parents and carers [PDF file 9Mb] |
If you have a perspective or example of play that you would like to share, consider making a submission to The Spoke—ECA’s blog or Every Child magazine.
