A 360° View of Play: Activating and Diversifying Play in Public Spaces
Play in public spaces has been declining, and ways of planning it have remained largely unchanged since the mid-20th century.
To put this right, municipalities can develop the play potential of public spaces and support independent mobility for children.
We invite you to plan a play-friendly territory in which public spaces foster inclusion and enjoyment.
Discover the 360° View of Play information sheet
This sheet invites municipalities to take a close look at children’s play experience on their territory and to develop a network of complementary play-friendly spaces.
Use the 360° View of Play workbook
This workbook consists of an analysis grid that helps municipalities start thinking about play in their public spaces. It can be used in several contexts, such as when creating a master plan for parks or a family policy, developing public programming, or designing or assessing a public space.
It is also useful for landscape architects, land use planners and urban planners, as well as designers of public spaces, urban furniture and recreational and play equipment.
The “A 360° View of Play: Activating and Diversifying Play in Public Spaces” workbook by Centre d’écologie urbaine and Metalude is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Watch the webinar
On the first ever International Day of Play, on June 11, 2024 , Metalude and Centre d’écologie urbaine launched their tool during a webinar on activating and diversifying play in public spaces, “Susciter et diversifier le jeu dans l’espace public.”
Why watch the webinar?
- To better understand play in public spaces
- To recognize the elements necessary for play
- To plan a territory that is conducive to play and includes all children
A collaborative project
The 360° project is the result of a shared desire to identify concrete actions that can be taken by municipalities, community and recreational organizations, land use planners and landscapers to enrich play in public spaces.
Advisory committee
Géna Casu
Project Manager – Physical Activity, Collectif Vital
Valérie Ebacher
Urban Planner, Advisor – Development and Urban Planning, Vivre en Ville
Christyne Gauvin
Educational Advisor, Regroupement des CPE de la Montérégie
Seiun Thomas Henderson
Director of Innovation and Special Projects, Giant Steps School
Stéphanie Henry
Landscape Architect and Designer, Castor et Pollux
Thibaut Hugueny
Circonflexe Project Manager, Sport et loisir de l’île de Montréal
Mathieu Point
Professor, Department of Education Sciences, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Brigitte Soucy-Ferret
Mobilization Coordinator, Montréal physiquement active network, Montréal – Métropole en santé
References
Canadian Paediatric Society
Canadian Paediatric Society. (January 25, 2024). Healthy Childhood Development Through Outdoor Risky Play: Navigating the Balance with Injury Prevention.
https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/outdoor-risky-play
Francine Ferland
Ferland, F. (2018). Et si on jouait? Le jeu au cœur du développement de l’enfant (3rd edition). Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine.
Peter Gray
Gray, P. (2020). “Risky Play: Why Children Love and Need It.” In J. Loebach, S. Little, A. Cox and P. Eubanks Owens (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Designing Public Spaces for Children: Processes, Practices and Policies for Youth Inclusion (pp. 39–51). Routledge.
Bob Hughes
Hughes, B. (2006). Play Types: Speculations and Possibilities. The London Centre for Playwork Education and Training.
Janet Loebach and collaborators
Loebach, J., Sanches, M., Jaffe, J., & Elton-Marshall, T. (2021). “Paving the Way for Outdoor Play: Examining Socio-Environmental Barriers to Community-Based Outdoor Play.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3617. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073617
Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec
Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec. (2023). Accompagner et soutenir l’enfant dans le jeu libre. Ministère de l’Éducation – Gouvernement du Québec.
https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/pfeq/prescolaire/Accompagner-soutenir-jeu-libre-prescolaire.pdf
Naître et grandir
Naître et grandir team. (2021). Free Play. https://naitreetgrandir.com/en/step/1-3-years/learning-and-games/free-play/
https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/etape/1_3_ans/jeux/bg-naitre-grandir-jeu-libre/#_Toc80174935
Outdoor Play Canada
Outdoor Play Canada. (2022). Why Children Need to Play Outside—Now More Than Ever!
https://www.outdoorplaycanada.ca/2022/01/17/why-children-need-to-play-outside-now-more-than-ever/
Québec en forme
Québec en forme. (2013). Le point sur le jeu libre extérieur et le plein air.
Ellen Sandseter and Rasmus Kleppe
Sandseter, E. B. H. and Kleppe, R. (2019). “Outdoor risky play.” In Tremblay, R. E., Boivin, M., Peters, R. De V. (eds.) Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Viewed on April 11, 2024.
https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/outdoor-risky-play
United Nations
United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
Mia Venkat and collaborators
Venkat, M., Fox, K. and Summers, J. (October 31, 2023). “How Lack of Independent Play Is Impacting Children’s Mental Health” . All Things Considered. NPR.
