A message from Barb Champion, Executive Director - Play Australia:
Play Australia is starting to look at what happens now as COVID-19 restrictions start to relax. As a community we have this great opportunity to 'reset' and really make inroads to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for our children.
We share how the NSW Government is making changes to support safer streets for walking and cycling. This is so important as we also call on parents to let their children walk to school.
As we get back to a new form of normal, let's utilise our skills and advocacy to support a positive change to how our children play.
And again, please stay safe and play on!
Building community and family connection
Whether you’re in isolation or navigating your community with distance, it’s important we build and retain CONNECTIONS with our fellow community and family members, particularly those that are more vulnerable.
Strong ties with family, friends and the community provide people with happiness, security, support and a sense of purpose. Research shows that being connected to others is important for mental wellbeing and can be a protective factor against anxiety and depression
Beyond Blue, Connections Matter, 2020
Here are some ideas about building community and family connections.
- Check out Creative Connections on the Verandah by our friends at Relationships Australia
- Subscribe to Facebook page - Family Lockdown Tips & Ideas (private group)
- Raising Children – Talking to children about COVID 19
- Mind Heart Kids – A booklet for children – Hello! I am a virus
- Family Life - How to survive school closures (without flipping your lid)
- Psychology Today - The Pandemic Toolkit Parents Need
- The Chronicle of Higher Education - Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure
- Playgroups have moved online, sign up for your state here - Playgroup How we play today? Playgroup at Home
- Public mental health service providers in Australia
- Leave a chalk message in your neighbourhood!
- IPA - Access to Play for Children in Situations of Crisis
- From our friends at Playing Out UKL, Professor Alison Stenning and Dr Wendy Russell - What are our councils doing to create safer streets to allow for socially distanced play and exercise near home AND their E-news summary here.
- Peter Grey on Being Free to Learn During COVID-19.
How we play today
At a time where we all may be feeling isolated or anxious, we have the responsibility to uphold "the child’s right to play" every day to support the growth of for their health and wellbeing.
As adults, we have the responsibility to provide PERMISSION, TIME and SPACE for our children to play freely every day, so they can make sense of the world in their own way, at their own pace.
Barb Champion, Executive Director - Play Australia
Here are some ideas to help our children play today.
- From our friends at Playgroup Australia are promoting 20 days of play at home
- Active for Life in Canada have 10 Nature activities you can do with your kids at home while social distancing
- Play Wales - Playing actively in and around the home
- International Play Association – Loose Parts Play: A list of play suggestions to spark ideas and possibilities
- Playgroups have moved online, sign up for your state here - Playgroup How we play today? Playgroup at Home
- Raising Children - Talking with kids about physical distancing AND Tips from a PE teacher dad to keep active during the pandemic
- How we play today - A printable outline to help kids plan their own day – from Active for Life
- ABC online - When coronavirus forced me to home-school my daughter, learning through play was the answer we both needed
- ABC online - What's the minimum amount of exercise kids need?
- The University of New South Wales - The unexpected benefits of learning in lockdown
- And one for the adults! The Conversation "How to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus self-isolation"
Do you have something to share?
We would love to hear from you and will be seeking to update this page with further resources as they come to hand. If you have further ideas and resources on BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTION or HOW WE PLAY TODAY– please send to: renaee@playaustralia.org.au
OR post your pictures, videos and ideas on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @PlayAustralia with #PlayToday and we’ll share across our Australia-wide networks over the coming weeks.
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