Playing at the Playground

In the picture, a group of children are playing a game of catching on the rubberised ground of a playground in a housing estate. One boy is stretching his arm out to tag a girl who is running away from him, and two other children are running in from the left. Behind them, one child is climbing the rope netting while another comes down the slide. I can tell they are enjoying themselves because they are laughing rather than arguing, and nobody is standing at the side on their own. What I also noticed is that the boy in front is running barefoot, so he has been playing long enough to kick his shoes off somewhere.

My friends and I play catching at the void deck under my block almost every evening after homework. What I like about it is that you do not need anything to start — no ball, no court, just whoever turns up. There was one evening when a boy I had never met asked if he could join, and within ten minutes he was part of the game and we knew his name. I do not think that would have happened if we had all been sitting with our phones. That is the part I enjoy most, more than the running.

I agree that we play outdoors less than we should. Outdoor play teaches things a screen cannot — you have to ask to join in, take turns, and sort out an argument yourself when someone says they were not really tagged. It is also better for our eyes and we sleep better afterwards. I understand why many parents are cautious, because the afternoon sun is punishing and a child alone downstairs is a real worry, however that is an argument for going down at five or six rather than not going at all. That is why I believe the answer is not more rules about screens but a fixed time each day when going downstairs is simply what happens.