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Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of play as a human occupation that has particular
significance in childhood and is positioned in a child‑centered, strengths‑based, children’s‑rights‑based approach to play. The chapter is divided into three sections:
the first section begins by discussing the definition of play as occupation. Then in the second section, using an occupational science lens, play as an occupation is analyzed in terms of meaning, form, function, and context, and is situated within a child’s‑rights‑based framework. Evidence is provided on the inherent value and contribution that free play makes to child development, health, well‑being, resilience, as well as the need to acknowledge play as a basic human right in childhood. From this background, a critical exploration of play in occupational therapy is presented in the third section with some tools and resources for addressing the challenge of enabling play as human occupation in practice informed by local and global sociocultural‑spatial perspectives.
significance in childhood and is positioned in a child‑centered, strengths‑based, children’s‑rights‑based approach to play. The chapter is divided into three sections:
the first section begins by discussing the definition of play as occupation. Then in the second section, using an occupational science lens, play as an occupation is analyzed in terms of meaning, form, function, and context, and is situated within a child’s‑rights‑based framework. Evidence is provided on the inherent value and contribution that free play makes to child development, health, well‑being, resilience, as well as the need to acknowledge play as a basic human right in childhood. From this background, a critical exploration of play in occupational therapy is presented in the third section with some tools and resources for addressing the challenge of enabling play as human occupation in practice informed by local and global sociocultural‑spatial perspectives.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Human Occupation |
| Subtitle of host publication | Contemporary Concepts and Lifespan Perspectives |
| Editors | Ted Brown , Stephen Isbel, Louise Gustafsson, Sharon Gutman, Diane Powers Dirette, Bethan Collins, Tim Barlott |
| Place of Publication | London, United Kingdom |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Chapter | 36 |
| Pages | 711-744 |
| Number of pages | 34 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781003504610 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032214566, 9781032824642 |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
Keywords
- child‑initiated play
- childhood
- child’s rights
- occupational justice
- playfulness
- human occupation
- play
- children
- occupational therapy
- occupational science
Other files and links
Research output
- 1 Edited Book
-
Human Occupation: Contemporary Concepts and Lifespan Perspectives
Brown, T. (ed.), Isbel, S. (ed.), Gustafsson, L. (ed.), Gutman, S. (ed.), Powers Dirette, D. (ed.), Collins, B. (ed.) & Barlott, T. (ed.), 2025, 1st ed. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. 676 p.Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book › peer-review