The Charter for Children’s Play sets out a vision for play, outlining the basic principles of what play means for children and what we should all do to promote their right to enjoy it.
It is a catalyst for individuals and organisations to examine and improve their provision for children and young people’s play and informal recreation. Organisations whose services impact on children can formally adopt the charter in order to raise awareness of the importance of play.
A range of support materials is available to promote the charter, including a children’s version, a poster illustrating the charter and an implementation guide.
Multiple copies of all formats of the Charter for Children’s Play are now available to order. These are charged at a minimal price to cover production costs to ensure the widest possible distribution. To obtain your copies, please complete the charter order form above.
Alternatively, you can download copies of the charter below, or contact Play England for a printed single copy.
The charter outlines eight statements or principles that describe a vision of play. Each statement is accompanied by a short paragraph describing this statement in more detail.
The charter is a four-page leaflet which includes the statements, an introduction to the charter, its purpose and a list of supporting documents.
The charter has been adopted by the Play England Council and therefore will become the underpinning document for Play England's work. Play England promotes the charter, and encourages partner and stakeholder organisations to adopt it.
This booklet is a practical guide for those using the charter and promoting its messages. Making it Happen explores the action points needed to be taken by parents and carers, play providers, planners and decision-makers to implement and promote the eight charter statements.
The booklet also summarises recent developments in play and children’s policy and provides links to supporting documents.
This pocket sized, fold-out version of the charter has been produced to help children and young people understand how the charter statements work to protect their right to play.
This version has been designed so that children can carry it around easilly and refer to it when needed, and provides an excellent tool to support consultation with children and young people about play.
This colourful A2 poster highlights each of the eight charter statements in a child-friendly and engaging format.
The eye-catching poster can be used to highlight the importance of play wherever you need to promote this message.
The charter was first published in 1992 and was later revised in 1998 as the New Charter for Children’s Play. Play England decided that, nearly 10 years on, the time was right to revisit the charter.
The consultation project, undertaken by Gi Cheeseman and Associates for Play England, found that the charter has been used to inform campaigning, development and delivery of work in the play sector but its reach was limited.
The consultation also found that the charter needed updating – both in content and format – to be relevant to a wider audience. The update needed to reflect the play sector’s current opportunities and challenges, as well as being relevant to wider children’s service providers and partners.
The charter has now been written to take account of the consultation feedback. Play England intends that the charter, in its various formats, will continue to be a useful and fundamental tool to campaign for children’s right to play.
Play England is part of NCB and is supported by the Big Lottery Fund
