Defining ‘play’ – it's so much more than just filling time
Play is essential for children’s development, so much so that it has its own section in The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, outlining the right for all children to have access 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.”[1]
Making sure your toddler has plenty of time for play can transform a day, and be positive for your relationship with them. But sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what play is, and there are times that what we think of as play might not be quite what it seems.