Play, Playwork and Wellbeing

This chapter presents an overview of the literature on childhood wellbeing which is characterised by large scale, cross-sectional studies. However, Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), states that children have the right to express their own opinion on matters pertaining to them. Participatory research techniques and creative methodologies have the potential to put children’s voices at the centre of enquiries into childhood. Creative methods help children narrate their lived experience. This chapter sets out one element of a twelve month participatory research project in which the authors worked with a group of play rangers. Using drawings and photo elicitation, the play rangers engaged the children attending the play settings in informal discussions regarding their experience of being involved in outdoor play. Consideration was given to how these experiences support and contribute to the domains of wellbeing identified within a developmental assets framework.