Marianne Mannello: Play matters because it matters to children

Play Wales is the national charity dedicated to promoting children's right to play in Wales. For more than 25 years, it has worked with the Welsh Government, local authorities, schools, communities and play professionals to ensure that every child has access to high-quality play opportunities. Through research, advocacy, training and policy development, Play Wales has become an international reference in the promotion of play as a fundamental right, highlighting its essential role in children's health, wellbeing, development and participation in society.

Play Wales advocates for every child's right to play. Why do you think play is still an undervalued right in many societies?

Play is often misunderstood as something nice to have, rather than something children need and have a right to. In many societies, children’s time and space are increasingly shaped by adult priorities – school attainment, organised activities, traffic, concerns about safety and a general pressure to be ‘productive’. As a result, freely chosen play can be squeezed out of everyday life.
At Play Wales, we see play as central to children’s wellbeing, sense of belonging and ability to make sense of the world around them. It is how children build friendships, test ideas, manage uncertainty, experience joy and develop confidence. Yet, because play often looks ordinary – children running about, making dens, inventing games, getting muddy, being noisy or simply hanging out – its value can be overlooked by adults and by systems that prefer measurable outcomes.
We need to keep making the case that play is vital for a happy and healthy childhood.

Your vision is to create a Wales where play is recognised as an essential part of a healthy and happy childhood. What progress have you seen towards achieving that vision in recent years?

There has been real progress in Wales, and it is important to acknowledge that. Wales has taken a distinctive and courageous approach by recognising children’s play in policy and law, and by placing a legislative duty on local authorities to assess and, as far as reasonably practicable, secure sufficient opportunities for children to play. This approach gives play a status it has not always had elsewhere: it becomes something to plan for, resource, protect and discuss across services.

Thanks to the enactment of this legislation and to a Ministerial Review of Play undertaken by the Welsh Government, we have also seen play become part of broader conversations about wellbeing, poverty, neighbourhood life, schools, transport and planning. This all makes a difference, because children do not live their lives in policy silos. Progress is not only about more playgrounds, welcome though they are – it is about more adults understanding that children need time, space and permission to play in the places where they live, learn and spend time.

What are the main barriers that children face today when it comes to playing freely in their communities?

The barriers children face are often very ordinary, which is why they can be so easily missed. Traffic, poor access to green space, lack of safe routes, fear of complaint, busy family lives, poverty, exclusion, and negative attitudes towards children and teenagers all affect children’s ability to play freely. 

Sometimes the biggest barrier is not the absence of a play space, but the absence of welcome. Children need to feel that they belong in their communities. If every sign says ‘no ball games’, every patch of grass is treated as ornamental, and every group of children is seen as a nuisance, then we have created environments that tell children they are not wanted. A play-friendly neighbourhood starts from a different place: children are citizens now, not citizens in waiting.

Play Wales has played an active role in shaping public policies related to children's play. What makes the Welsh model a source of inspiration for other countries?

The Welsh model is inspiring because it moves play from the margins into the mainstream. Wales was the first country in the world to legislate in support of children’s play, and the Play Sufficiency Duty requires every local authority to look seriously at whether children have enough opportunities to play. This assessment of play is powerful because it asks adults and institutions to examine the conditions around children’s everyday lives, not simply to provide isolated activities.

Its strength is also in its partnership approach. Play sufficiency brings together local authorities, schools, transport, planning, housing, health, community organisations, families and children themselves. It recognises that securing play is not the job of one department or one profession; it is a shared responsibility. That is why other countries are interested in Wales – not because everything is perfect, but because Wales has created a framework that makes children’s right to play visible, practical and accountable.

In your experience, how does freely chosen play contribute to children's emotional, social and cognitive development?

Freely chosen play gives children room to be themselves. It is not directed by adults, measured by outcomes or driven by a currículum. This is precisely why it is so valuable. When they are playing, children negotiate, imagine, test boundaries, solve problems, create rules, change rules, manage disappointment, take turns, fall out, make up and try again. These are deeply necessary human experiences.

Emotionally, play helps children process the world and experience joy, control and possibility. Socially, it helps them build relationships and understand others. Cognitively, it supports curiosity, creativity, flexible thinking and problem-solving. But we should also be careful not to value play only because it produces adult-approved and long-term benefits. Play matters because it matters to children. It is one of the ways they experience immediate wellbeing benefits, specifically freedom, friendship and joy in the here and now.
There are often concerns about the risks associated with outdoor play. 

How do you balance the need to keep children safe with the importance of allowing them to explore, take risks and develop resilience?

Children need to be safe from significant harm, but they also need opportunities to encounter uncertainty, challenge and adventure. The task is not to remove all risk from children’s lives – it is to manage risk in a thoughtful and proportionate way. If we remove every bump, wobble, climb, splash and possibility of failure, we also remove opportunities for children to learn about themselves and the world.
A balanced approach asks: what are the benefits of this opportunity to play, what are the real risks, and how can we support children without unnecessarily limiting them? Children are capable, curious and resourceful. They need adults who are confident enough to support play, not simply control it. Good provision for play does not mean careless provision – it means facilitating, with children, environments where children can stretch themselves, make judgements and develop resilience in ways that are meaningful to them.

Beyond working with policymakers, Play Wales also collaborates with schools, professionals and local communities. What role does each of these groups play in creating more play-friendly environments?

Everyone has a part to play. Policymakers can create the conditions through legislation, policy, guidance, funding and cross-government commitment. Schools can protect time for play, value break times, make better use of outdoor spaces and recognise that play supports children’s wellbeing and readiness to learn. Professionals can advocate for children’s voices, design inclusive services and challenge assumptions about what children need.

Communities are vital because play happens close to home. Neighbours, parents, carers, housing providers, planners, councillors and community groups all influence whether children feel welcome in the neighbourhoods in which they live. A play-friendly environment is not created by one excellent playground alone. It is created when children can move around, meet friends, use public space, be visible and be accepted as part of community life.

Which recent initiatives or projects best illustrate the impact that Play Wales is seeking to achieve across Wales?

The ongoing work around play sufficiency continues to illustrate the impact we want to achieve. Supporting local authorities to undertake Play Sufficiency Assessments, develop action plans and listen to children gives suports children to access their right to play. The Play Sufficiency Assessment process helps turn a principle into everyday questions about streets, schools, parks, housing estates, community spaces, transport and adult attitudes.

We are also proud of work that supports practitioners, schools and communities to understand play in accessible ways – through training, resources, advocacy, research and public campaigns. The best initiatives are those that help adults see the world from children’s point of view and then change something as a result. Sometimes that change is strategic, sometimes it is beautifully simple, such as protecting playtime, opening up space, changing a sign, or giving children permission to use their neighbourhood more freely.

If you could give just one recommendation to governments and public authorities in other countries to better support children's right to play, what would it be?

My one recommendation would be: take children’s right to play seriously enough to build it into law, policy, planning and budgets. Warm words are welcome, but they are not enough. If governments want children to play, they must make play someone’s responsibility, resource it properly, listen to children, and require public bodies to consider the impact of their decisions on children’s time, space and permission to play.

Looking ahead, what does a truly play-friendly society look like to you, and what are the key steps needed to make that vision a reality?

A truly play-friendly society is one where children are visible, valued and welcomed. It is a society where children can play near home, in school, in parks, in streets, in natural spaces and in community places; where disabled children and children from every background can participate; where teenagers are not treated as a problem simply for being together; and where adults understand that play is part of a good childhood.
Building on the good work already being done across Wales at all levels, we need sustained leadership, investment, confident practitioners, better planning, safer and more welcoming streets, inclusive spaces, playful schools and communities that make room for children. Most importantly, we need to keep listening to children. They are the experts in their own play, and when we pay attention to what they tell us – in words and actions – they show us what a play-friendly world could be.