Caution: Children at Play. A radio documentary on the decline of children’s free play opportunities in Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

Research in human development indicates that play encompasses an important role in the development and learning of children. It is through play that children discover the world around them and begin to internalise their experiences. In this increasingly fast-paced world, children are busier than ever before. They are faultlessly caught up in a results-based society, that is more competitive and demanding of them than any generation that went before them. Parents, too, are struggling to strike a balance between keeping up with this frenzy and nurturing the growth of their precious children. The document lays out the research path of the radio documentary: ‘Caution: Children at Play.’ It refers to relevant literature and investigates how children play in our modern, increasingly digitised world. The dissertation also outlines the creative and technical process involved in the production of ‘Caution: Children at Play’. It presents the researcher’s findings that a lack of unstructured play opportunities in childhood has led to a generation of children who have less of a relationship with nature, and are less inclined to be creative. The documentary and supporting document seek to prove that over-supervisation and over protection is taking away child’s free choice and the very thing that makes their behaviour play. The fear exists that this will lead to a lack of essential coping skills when these children reach adulthood.