The Role of Play in Children’s Health and Development Edited by Ute Navidi Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Children www.mdpi.com/journal/children Ute Navidi (Ed.) The Role of Play in Children’s Health and Development Photo credit: Ute Navidi This book is a reprint of the special issue that appeared in the online open access journal Children (ISSN 2227-9067) in 2014 (available at: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/special_issues/play_children_health). Guest Editor Dr. Ute Navidi Independent International Consultant formerly Regional Vice President (Europe), International Play Association Editorial Office MDPI AG Klybeckstrasse 64 Basel, Switzerland Publisher Shu-Kun Lin Managing Editor Delphine Guérin 1. Edition 2016 MDPI • Basel • Beijing • Wuhan ISBN 978-3-03842-181-8 (Hbk) ISBN 978-3-03842-182-5 (PDF) © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. All articles in this volume are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons License (CC-BY), which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. However, the dissemination and distribution of physical copies of this book as a whole is restricted to MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. III Table of Contents List of Contributors ............................................................................................................... V About the Guest Editor .........................................................................................................VI Foreword ............................................................................................................................ VII Preface .................................................................................................................................IX Chapter 1: Play: Promoting Children’s Physical and Mental Health and Well Being Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell Turning the World Upside Down: Playing as the Deliberate Creation of Uncertainty Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(2), 241-260 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/2/241 .............................................................................. 3 Perry Else Teenagers and Playing: Are Pastimes Like Neknominate a Usual Response to Adolescence? Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 339-354 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/339 ............................................................................ 23 Jane Hewes Seeking Balance in Motion: The Role of Spontaneous Free Play in Promoting Social and Emotional Health in Early Childhood Care and Education Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 280-301 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/280 ............................................................................ 39 Lis Mathiasen Prevention is Better than Cure: A Hands-On, Play-Based, Innovative, Health and Well-Being Program in Remote Australia Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 318-338 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/318 ............................................................................ 62 IV Chapter 2: Coping with Illness and Getting Better through Play Fraser Brown The Healing Power of Play: Therapeutic Work with Chronically Neglected and Abused Children Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 474-488 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/474 ............................................................................ 85 Laura Anes and Marianne Obi Hospital Clowning as Play Stimulus in Healthcare Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 374-389 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/374 .......................................................................... 100 Lino de Macedo, Gláucia Faria da Silva and Sandra Mutarelli Setúbal Pediatric Hospital: The Paradigms of Play in Brazil Reprinted from: Children 2015, 2(1), 66-77 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/2/1/66 ............................................................................ 116 Sue Boucher, Julia Downing and Rise Shemilt The Role of Play in Children’s Palliative Care Reprinted from: Children 2014, 1(3), 302-317 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/1/3/302 .......................................................................... 128 Chapter 3: Restorative Powers of Play Isami Kinoshita and Helen Woolley Children’s Play Environment after a Disaster: The Great East Japan Earthquake Reprinted from: Children 2015, 2(1), 39-62 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/2/1/39 ............................................................................ 147 Laleh Taheri and Golshan Chahian Restoration of Traditional Children’s Play in Iranian Nomadic Societies (Case Study of Kohgilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad Reprinted from: Children 2015, 2(2), 211-227 http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/2/2/211 .......................................................................... 172 V List of Contributors Laura Anes: RED NOSES Clowndoctors International, Wattgasse 48, A-1170 Vienna, Austria. Sue Boucher: International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), Assagay 3610, South Africa. Fraser Brown: Leeds Beckett University, City Campus, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK. Golshan Chahian: Ecology and sustainable landscape planning and designer, CENESTA, Shiraz, Iran. Gláucia Faria da Silva: Hospital Infantil Sabará, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, Av. Angélica, 1987, 17o. Andar, 01.227-2000-São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Lino de Macedo: Instituto Pensi, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, Av. Angélica, 1987, 17o. Andar, 01.227-2000-São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Julia Downing: International Children's Palliative Care Network, Assagay, 3610, South Africa. Perry Else: Sheffield Hallam University, UK; International Play Association – England, Wales and Northern Ireland (IPA-EWNI). Sadly, Dr. Perry Else passed away on 1 June 2014. It stands as a tribute to his work, passion and dedication that he managed to complete the article whilst very ill. Jane Hewes: Early Learning and Child Care, Faculty of Health and Community Studies, MacEwan University, Edmonton AB T5J4P2, Canada. Isami Kinoshita: Department of Landscape Architecture, Chiba University, Matsudo 271-8510, Japan. Stuart Lester: Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Oxstalls Campus, Oxstalls Lane, Gloucester GL2 9HW, UK. Lis Mathiasen: Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital WA Inc., Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, BOX D184, Perth 6840, Western Australia, Australia. Marianne Obi: RED NOSES Clowndoctors International, Wattgasse 48, A-1170 Vienna, Austria. Wendy Russell: Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Oxstalls Campus, Oxstalls Lane, Gloucester GL2 9HW, UK. Sandra Mutarelli Setúbal: Hospital Infantil Sabará, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, Av. Angélica, 1987, 17o. Andar, 01.227-2000-São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Rise Shemilt: Paediatric Palliative Care Service, Gaddum Centre, Manchester, M15 4AX, UK. Laleh Taheri: Architect, from the nomadic tribe of Boyer Ahmad, CENESTA, Shiraz, Iran. Helen Woolley: Department of Landscape, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. VI About the Guest Editor Dr. Ute Navidi is an Independent International Consultant and External Expert, for the European Commission. Her recent history includes roles as the CEO of London Play, Regional Vice President (Europe) of International Play Association, and Consultant Director of the Hillingdon Play Association. E-Mail: [email protected] Skype: uteipa VII Foreword Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold. -Joseph Chilton Pearce This compilation of contributions from around the globe is both compelling and eye-opening. I am particularly struck by the fundamental, yet often under-recognized, relationship of child wellness to play. As the different perspectives given in this culturally-diverse compilation demonstrate, the psychological, developmental and physical rewards of play for children can neither be overstated nor overemphasized. It is easy to discern through the perspectives provided by these authors how play significantly enhances a child’s social competence, cognitive functioning, motor skills, and resiliency to combat anxiety, fear, and hopelessness. Moreover, it is also evident that forms of play evolve and yet continue to be bound by societal values and culture. Thus, they remain susceptible both to the impositions brought about by new technology (and its related sedentary behavior), as well as to the boundaries created by caregivers and their environmental, cultural and socioeconomic surroundings. Through my own personal experiences, first as a child raised in the midst of the long civil war in Lebanon, and later as a father and a pediatrician involved in the care of children for over 25 years, I have witnessed first-hand how play, laughter, and imagination can mitigate a child’s internalization of helplessness and loss of control. Even through the struggle to comprehend physical pain, uncertainty, and disquieting environments, children use play as a coping mechanism to negotiate meaning and understanding. As demonstrated in this book, the healing and therapeutic benefits of play greatly assist in offsetting a myriad of impediments to achieving healthy child development. Dr. Ute Navidi has dedicated her career to advocating for children’s rights both in England and throughout the globe. She has fearlessly tackled the status quo by speaking out against Westernized societies that have blindly become so entrenched in risk-aversion, as playgrounds are dismantled and outside play is plagued by a trend