Children look to play and nature to help them cope in situations of crisis

A research project undertaken by the International Play Association (IPA) sought to gain a better understanding of children’s play needs in situations of crisis. This paper reports on findings from four different countries – India, Nepal, Japan, and Thailand – and focuses on just two types of disasters: natural disasters and everyday crisis. Children participating in the study were between the ages of 6 and 18. Data collection methods included individual and group child-led walks in the local environment, informal conversations, systematic observations of children at play, and interviews with parents, community leaders, program staff of community-based organizations, and local government officials.

This report describes the physical environments and disaster situations of the research sites. It also discusses the roles of place and space in promoting play in those situations. Findings from Nepal and Japan are discussed in relation to children’s play after earthquake-related natural disasters. Findings from Thailand and India are discussed in relation to children’s play in everyday crisis situations in poverty-ridden and hazardous urban environments. After earthquakes in Japan, children were faced with numerous barriers to play: lack of permission, trauma, loss of play spaces, no planning for play spaces in temporary housing, loss of friends, and reduced free time. Children, however, sought out secret places to play, often in isolated natural areas. The response in Nepal after an earthquake was somewhat different. The younger children seemed to enjoy living in makeshift shelters close to neighbors and friends; and parents actively encouraged children to play with their friends.  Their play often involved construction play with the plentiful loose parts strewn around.  The older children, however, had little time to play, as they were actively engaged in helping their families rebuild their homes or attending to livelihoods.

The research sites in both India and Thailand were riverside locations with high levels of access to play despite significant environmental risks. The children were primarily from migrant labor families who had moved from rural to urban areas. Due to overly-crowded living conditions, the riverbank and the river, itself, were almost the only large places available for the children to play. While the river as a playspace presented many physical risks for the children, it also afforded contact with nature, openness and freedom – qualities appreciated and enjoyed by the children.

Children in each of the situations of crisis found ways to play despite lack of access to safe play spaces.  The places they sought out for play tended to include elements of nature. This finding is consistent with other research showing that children tend to look to special places in nature when faced with crisis in their lives. This research also “illustrates children’s adaptive capacity  to manage risks in high-risk, unsafe environments through play, first as a coping mechanism and over time as a process of building resilience.”