Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Playand Child Rights: A Comparative Study

Usha Ajithkumar MalayankandyIndia is a predominantly Hindu nation with large minorities ofMuslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains. There are more than
three hundred seventy-five million children in India, the largest number for any country in the world. Obedience to authority, passivity, andinterdependence are highly valued. Parents traditionally have high authority over the lives of their children. Mothers are the primary disciplinarians. Discipline is often strict and children are taught to obey their parents.
Scolding, yelling, slapping, and spanking are considered appropriate andnecessary for socializing children.
Children are expected to do well in school as they possibly can, as education is highly respected in Indian society. Play is generally considered amere wastage of time and energy.
Significance of Play
Play is essential to a country’s development because it contributes to the
cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.
It is a resource that promotes creativity, which can be used during
adulthood. It is also invaluable in its contribution to the development of
thinking and ideas.
It is viewed as a fundamental right of childhood; as expressed in Article
31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Interest inproviding quality play opportunities for children gradually increased, andthe need for international action was evident. In 1955 a major seminar on
playgrounds was held in Europe. In 1961, the International Play Association(ipa) was born. Though India is a member of ipa, it is not actively promoting the ipa Declaration of the Child’s Right to Play.1
Children no longer have the freedom to explore woods and fields andfind their own special places. Informal neighborhood ball games are a
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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cthing of the past, as children are herded into athletic leagues at increasingly
younger ages. Add to this mixture the hours spent sitting still in front ofscreens - television, video game, and computer - absorbing other people’s
stories and imaginations, and the result is a steady decline in children’s play.
Increasingly, preschool and kindergarten children find themselves in school
settings which feature scripted teaching, computerized learning, and standardized assessment. Physical education and recess are being eliminated as
new schools are built without playgrounds. Children’s play, in the creative,
open-ended sense is now seriously endangered.
The demise of play will certainly have serious consequences for children
and for the future of childhood itself.
Since a child has distributed time for home and school, the child also
has distributed time with parents and teachers. However, even those children who are fortunate enough to have abundant available resources andwho live in relative peace are not receiving the full benefits of play. Because
every child deserves the opportunity to develop to their unique potential,
child nurturers must consider all factors that interfere with optimal development and press for circumstances that allow each child to fully reap theadvantages associated with play.
Therefore, a question arises: what is the perception and awarenessabout play among the two groups who play critical roles in children’s lives?
Children’s time is distributed between the parents and teachers. If theparents are the first teacher for the child, the teachers are the second parents
for children. Since kindergarten, children are handed over to the teachers
and teachers nourish them and bestow them with love, support and good
habits. Parents, on the other hand, are responsible for the overall development of the children. Therefore, it is imperative to survey the parents andteachers’ perception and awareness of importance of play in the lives ofchildren.
In the following sections, I report on a survey of parents’ and teachers’
perception and awareness of importance of play in the lives of children.
Survey Objectives
The survey had the following objectives:
1. To study the perception of teachers with respect to play in the development of children;Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

2.
3.
4.
5.

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To study the perception of parents with respect to play in the development of children;
To study the awareness among the teachers of intellectual, emotional, social and physical values of play in the development ofchildren;To study the awareness among the parents of intellectual, emotional, social and physical values of play in the development of children;
To compare the awareness of parents and teachers of intellectual,
emotional, social and physical values of play in the development ofchildren.

Methodology of Study
The survey adopted a Descriptive Comparative Method. It covered sixty-six
parents and seventy-six teachers of pre-primary and primary classes in the
district of Greater Mumbai in India.
The survey employed the following tools:
1. Questionnaires»» parent’s perception of play (eleven multi-choice items)»» teachers’ perception about play (nine multi-choice items)
2. Rating scale»» scoring used the following scale: Agree - 3 points, Neutral - 2
points, Disagree-1 point. The scoring for negative items was reverse.
»» this rating scale was used to quantify the following:• awareness of role of play in intellectual development of
the children - twenty items, seventeen were positive item andthree were negative items• awareness of play in emotional development of the children – with sixteen items, fifteen were positive items and one
was negative item
• awareness of role of play in social development of the children – all positive items.
• awareness of role of play in physical development of thechildren - eleven items, all positive items.

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Procedure and Data Analysis
All six questionnaires were close-ended. Feedback from five experts validated the content of the tools. The questionnaires were distributed to parents
and teachers with required instructions, and collected after two days.
The data collected were scored, tabulated and analyzed. The descriptive analysis of the data consisted of computation of percentage, mean andgraphical description. For inferential analysis, t- test was computed.
Descriptive Analysis of Data
The following tables present response to specific items in the questionnaire.
1. Which of the following statement reflects your opinion the most?
Statements

Teachers

Parentsa. Play is enjoyment, fun, and amusement

79%

74%

b. Play leads to social development

77%

60%

c. Play leads to cognitive development

67%

30%

d. Play is physical activity

69%

73%

e. Play is creativity and imagination

54%

41%

f. Play is non-structured activity

44%

4%

g. Play is child’s work

26%

29%

Most of the parents and teachers perceive play as enjoyment, fun, andamusement. They also understand the role of play in social and physicaldevelopment of children. While teachers regard the cognitive role of play,parents are not convinced about it.
2. Which of the following statement reflects your opinion the most?
Statements

Teachers

Parentsa. To me, play and learning is the same thing

13%

8%

b. To me, play is different from learning

8%

16%

c. To me, play must be combined with learning

84%

75%

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Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

Play is the child’s laboratory but very few parents and teachers regard
play and learning as the same thing.
3. Which of the following statement reflects your opinion the most?
Statements

Parentsa. Everyday first play and then lesson/study

34%

b. Everyday first lesson/study and then play61%

c. Lesson in the week and play at the weekend

4%Play is so important to optimal child development still parents perceive
it as a reward to be given after the child has completed her/his study.
4. Which of the following statement reflects your opinion the most?
Statements

Parentsa. Play is waste of time0%b. Play is good but for spare time only

61%c. Children can’t always play they have got to grow up

29%

Most parents perceive play as a spare time activity. They also feel thatchildren have to stop playing at some stage and grow up. All parents agreeplay is not waste of time.
5. Depending on the degree of significance, put in order the environments
below that you believe have influence in social and emotional developmentof your child in order.
Statements

Parents’ ranking

a. Environment where my child plays with his/her friends

1stb. Environment where my child plays with his/her family elders

2ndc. Environment where my child plays with his/her toys him/herself

3rdParents perceive child’s play with his friends as most significant followed by her/his play with family.

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6. Depending on the degree of significance, put in order the most common
reasons why parents play with child.
Statements

Parents’ ranking

a. To detain the child

3rdb. To communicate with child

2nd

c. To educate the child

1st

Parents perceive play as a medium of educating children.
7. In choosing toys for your child which criterion is primarily significant foryou?
Statements

Parentsa. Developing imagination and creativity of my child43%

b. Helping development of mind of my child and preparation him/her for school skills

63%c. Providing detainment of my child him/herself for a long time2%

Parents regard toys as helpful for the development of mind and preparation for school skills.
8. What does your child/children do when she/he stays at home?
Statements

Parentsa. Watching TV

73%

b. Playing Outdoors

53%c. Playing indoors

41%

When at home, children spend their time mostly by watching TV.

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Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

9. What do you do when your child is playing?
Statements

Parentsa. Shopping

6%b. Cooking

53%

c. Watching TV

18%

d. Play with the child

63%

Mothers are either cooking or playing with the child when their childis playing.
10. How much time should a child below six years play in a day?
Statements

Parentsa . less than 1 hour2%b. 1-2 hours

45%c. 2-3 hours

35%

d. More than 3 hours

16%

Most of the parents feel children below six years require between 1-2
hours of play.
Statement

Agree

DisagreeI want to reduce the number of hours my child/children plays

19%

81%

Majority of the parents do not want to reduce their children play time.

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11. How often do you make provision for learning through play in yourclassroom?
Statements

Teachersa. Always

38%

b. Seldom

31%c. Rarely23%

d. Never8%

Few teachers make provisions for learning through play.
12. How do you promote play among your children?
Statements

Teachers

a. Provide materials and equipment

58%b. Provide space

38%c. Provide time and opportunities

74%

d. Participate in play

29%

Majority of the teachers promote play by providing time andopportunities.
Statement

Agree

DisagreeDo you think that we should reduce the play activities in the classroom

2%

98%

Almost all the teachers think that play activities should not be reduced.
Statements

Teachersa. Play is waste of time2%b. Play is something that you don’t want to do but have to do

41%

c. Children can’t always play they have got to grow up

7%

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Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights
d. Play is good but for spare time only

11%e. It is difficult to fit play into the curriculum

16%

f. Play is a reward to be given at the end of work

72%

Majority of the teachers perceive play as reward to be given at the endof work.
13. What kind of play do children like the most?
Statements

Teachersa. Dramatic play30%

b. Art activities

23%

c. Outdoor play67%

d. Playing with blocks

15%

Teachers think that most children love outdoor activities.
14. What kind of things interferes with children’s play?
Statements

Teachersa. Overprotective parents

66%

b. Parental attitudes about play44%

c. Discipline problem

52%d. Limited equipments

41%

e. Rigid schedules

70%

f. Inadequate space

66 %g. Bad weather

26%

Teachers think that rigid schedules, inadequate space and overprotective parents interfere with play.

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15. Where do the children play?
Statements

Teachersa. Playground89%

b. Classroom

64%

c. Corridor

33%

Inferential Analysis of Data
In order to test the null hypotheses, ‘t’ test was used.
1. Relevant Statistics for Significance of Difference between Means forintellectual Value
Null Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the awareness ofparents and teachers with respect to the awareness of the intellectual valueof play.
Intellectual value

N

M

SD

t

Table Value (0.05)

S/NS

Teachers

76

53.53

5.53

4.78

1.98

S
Df=140Parents

66

48.80

2.65

Interpretation - Since the obtained value of ‘t’ is greater than the tablevalue the null hypothesis is rejected at 0.05 level of significance.

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Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

Conclusion - There is a significant difference in the awareness of teachers and parents about the role of play in the intellectual development of
the children. The mean value of teachers’ awareness is higher than that ofparents.
2. Relevant Statistics for Significance of Difference between Means for
Emotional Value
Null Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in the awareness ofparents and teachers with respect to the awareness of the emotional valueof play.
Emotional value

N

M

SD

t

Table Value (0.05)

S/NS

Teachers

76

43.03

5.73

0.0016

1.98

NS Df=140

Parents

66

40.33

2.90

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i c

Interpretation - Since the obtained value of ‘t’ is lesser than the tablevalue the null hypothesis is accepted at 0.05 level of significance.
Conclusion - There is no significant difference in the awareness ofteachers and parents about the role of play in the emotional developmentof the children.
3. Relevant Statistics for Significance of Difference between Means forSocial Value
Null Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference in the awarenessof parents and teachers with respect to the awareness of the social value of
play.

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Perceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

Social value

N

M

SD

t

Table Value (0.05)

S/NS

Teachers

76

46.52

6.71

0.0009

1.98

NSParents

66

43.02

4.11

Df=140Interpretation - Since the obtained value of ‘t’ is lesser than the tablevalue the null hypothesis is accepted at 0.05 level of significance.
Conclusion - There is no significant difference in the awareness ofteachers and parents about the role of play in the social development of thechildren.
4. Relevant Statistics for Significance of Difference between Means for
Physical Value
Null Hypothesis 4: There is no significant difference in the awarenessof parents and teachers with respect to the awareness of the physical valueof play.

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Physical value

N

M

SD

t

Table Value (0.05)

S/NS

Teachers

76

30.68

3.44

0.2397

1.98

NSParents

66

29.77

4.54

Df=140Interpretation - Since the obtained value of ‘t’ is lesser than the tablevalue the null hypothesis is accepted at 0.05 level of significance.
Conclusion - There is no significant difference in the awareness ofteachers and parents about the role of play in the physical development of
the children.
Major Findings and Discussions of the Study
Parents’ and Teachers’ Perception of PlayThe study was an eye-opener as it generated far reaching findings.
Both parents’ and teachers’ definitions of play included enjoyment,
fun, or some type of amusement; social development; cognitive activity andphysical activity. Though play promotes cognitive development most parents do not regard this role of play though a majority of teachers perceivePerceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

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the intellectual role of play. The significant people who should play a vitalrole in promoting play in the lives of children do not perceive play as involving creativity and innovation.
Play is about creating a world in which, for that moment, children are incontrol and can seek out uncertainty in order to triumph over it – or, if not,no matter, it is only a game. In this way, children develop a repertoire of flexible responses to situations they create and encounter. Therefore, children
should be given control of play situations, but most parents and teachers
do not consider play as child’s activity but something that requires adultinterference.
In spite of what Piagetian theory says about how preoperational children learn through active involvement and interaction with their environment, which is facilitated through play, parents and teachers seemed to be
separating play and learning into a dichotomy; children were either playing
or they were learning.
Play and learning go hand-in-hand but most of the parents and teachers
feel they are different and components of learning has to be combined intoplay by careful planning.
The articles of the crc are often grouped into the ‘three Ps’: protection,
participation and provision. Children can create their own self-protection
through play, and that play is the principal way in which children participate
within their own communities. Play acts across several adaptive systems andcontribute to health, well-being and resilience. Given the benefits of play
and the consequences of playlessness, it is clear that play is fundamentally
linked to children’s rights as a whole. Play is not a luxury to be considered after other rights; it is an essential and integral component underpinning thefour principles of the crc (non-discrimination, survival and development,
the best interests of the child, and participation). But majority of parents
and teachers feel play is an activity meant to be undertaken during sparetime. Children should play only after study that too if time permits.
Parents consider the environment the children play with their friends as
most influential, followed by the play with family and siblings. While selecting toys for playing, parents are keener on the educational role rather thandevelopment of imagination and innovation. Parents play with the children
with the purpose of educating. Communicating through play was ranked
only second to educating.

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Most of the students spend their free time watching TV. Playing outdoors comes only next to viewing TV. While children are playing mothers
are cooking, but a lot of mothers do play with their children. Most parents
think a child below six years needs to play only between one to two hours
a day. Parents did not want to reduce the limited time they are giving theirchildren to play.
Whether children are working on new physical skills, social relations,or cognitive content, they approach life with a playful spirit. The children’s
love of learning is intimately linked with their zest for play. Hence learningand play should be integrated. Very few teachers make provisions for learning through play on a regular basis for the preprimary and primary children.
Some teachers never made provisions for learning through play.
Teachers listed provision of a variety of materials and equipments andparticipation in children’s play. Teachers also listed providing time and opportunities, and providing space. Teachers are not advocating reduction ofplay time in the school timetable because school already provides limited
time for play.
If we are to save play, we must first understand its nature. Creative playis like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child. It is refreshing andenlivening. It is a natural part of the make-up of every healthy child. But
most of the teachers perceived play as something to be given at the end ofwork. Many also responded that making provisions for play is something
they have to do but not want to. Many teachers felt it is difficult to fit play inthe curriculum and play is good for spare time.
Majority of the teachers responded that children love outdoor games.
Children also like dramatics, art activity and playing with blocks.
When teachers were asked what kinds of things interfered with children’s play, the most frequently mentioned factors were related to adultinterference, such as overprotective parents, adult criticism, and parental
attitudes about play being a waste of time. Another major category was behavior and discipline problems of the children, including social and emotional problems and social attitudes and behaviors. Other factors mentioned
frequently were limited equipment or supplies, rigid schedules, inadequate
space, and health problem of children. A few teachers mentioned such factors as television and bad weather.
The children are not given enough opportunities to freely access a wide
range of quality rest, leisure and artistic activities. When teachers werePerceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

239

asked where children play, the most frequently given response was playground. Another category of response was classrooms and the corridors of
the school.
Awareness of the Role of Play among Teachers and Parents
Children are not machines. You cannot simply add more fuel and speed
them up. They are governed by internal processes that are sometimes called
the laws of child development. In general, all parents and early childhood
teachers have a great responsibility to cater to the developmental needs ofthe whole children. Moreover they are responsible for helping and facilitating the children’s development of prosocial skills that are necessary for themto succeed in society.
Although parents and teachers know the importance of play they do
not seem to realize the implications of play in promoting and developing thewhole child. The awareness among the teachers is significantly higher thanthat of the parents with respect to the intellectual value of play in the life ofchildren. There is no significant difference in the awareness of teachers andparents with respect to the emotional, physical and social role of play. The
mean value for teachers is higher than that for parents on awareness about
the intellectual, emotional, physical and social roles of play.
Recommendations
The results from this study may prove useful to the parents, educational
agencies, policymakers and psychologists in general and early childhood
teachers in particular.
1. One implication of this study is that effort must be made to assist
teachers, parents and administrators as well as policymakers to work collaboratively in the process of giving play its central role in children’s learning
programs and granting pre-school children their right to play and be freefrom academic pressure.
2. As play disappears from the landscape of childhood we need to recognize that its demise will have a lasting impact. Decades of compelling research have shown that without play, children’s physical, social, emotional,
and intellectual development is compromised. Their capacity for communication will be diminished and their tendency towards aggressiveness and vi-

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i colence will increase. In short, human nature as we have known it will be profoundly altered, intensifying many of the problems that are already afflicting
children and society. If we do not invest in play, we will find ourselves investing much more in prisons and hospitals, as the incidence of physical, andmental illness, as well as aggressive and violent behavior escalates. Therefore
it is imperative to launch National Effort to Restore Play in India.
3. An honest assessment is needed on the success or failure of direct
instruction and other early academic approaches in kindergartens and nursery programs. In a seven-hour day, children get twenty-five minutes of being
free from academics. Anyone who has had experience with five-year-olds
will know that due to increased direct emphasis on academic success wefail to give enough importance to the activities listed in Article 31 that arenecessary for the child’s full and healthy development. We must focus on thequestion of what children need for their long-term healthy development.
4. Before it is too late and play has completely slipped out of the livesof young children, there is a need to organize public awareness campaigns
about play’s importance, directed at parents, teachers and policymakers.
5. The adults including parents, teachers, educational agencies, policymakers and psychologists should be aware of the importance of play,and promote and protect the conditions that support it. Any intervention
to promote play must acknowledge its characteristics and allow sufficient
flexibility, unpredictability and security for children to play freely. However,children’s play belongs to children; adults should not destroy children’s own
places for play through insensitive planning or the pursuit of other adultagendas, or by creating places and programs that segregate children andcontrol their play.
6. Teachers should use different types of play in developing prosocial
behavior. They should not confine to one particular way of teaching or emphasize on formal way of teaching.
7. The parents should be given the opportunity to develop their knowledge regarding child development and parenting skills. Parents’ education
should be a compulsory component of any pre-school program. Pre-school
teachers need to be stimulated and experts need to work together in finding
methods that would lead to a more elaborate play among the children, toprolong it and make it interesting. The administrators responsible for preschool should have at least a minimum level of preparation and experiencePerceptions of Parents and Teachers in India on Play and Child Rights

241

in the field. This is one of the ways by which we can listen to children’s voices
and fulfill their needs.
8. The Right To Play should be included as one of the Fundamental
Rights in the Constitution of India. There is no doubt that once this right isincluded in the Constitution of India the status of Physical Education Games& Sports will be elevated to a very dignified required level.
9. The government should establish physical spaces for children. Parks
should be set up that are eco-friendly and safe along with facilities for children to play.
10. Some of the challenges have to be addressed such as (dirty and pitiable condition of the parks, limited access to parks, bullying by older children and gambling, construction of temples and mosques in spaces thatchildren themselves had cleared for games, encroachment by builders in thespaces allocated for parks, Resident Welfare Associations’ (RWA) reluctanceto allow children to play ball games in the parks, parks made ornamental,
children losing out space to play due to grazing of animals and sewage pipes
running next to the parks overflowing into the parks, lack of playgrounds,
sports equipment and sports teachers in government schools, and lack ofsafety for girls.
11. The state authorities should also appoint qualified games teachers inschools for training children in different sports.
12. Some strategies to promote play include:• Making physical education an examinable subject for academic
credit to give it greater priority in the curriculum;• Providing in-service training for school teachers in physical education methods to make teachers more aware of the importance ofphysical education;• Providing teachers with the knowledge and confidence to deliver
high quality, inclusive and enjoyable programs; and• Conducting training to specifically address gender issues and how
to deliver adaptive sport and physical education for children withdisabilities.
13. Further research should be done to prove that play has significant
impact in developing the healthy child.

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Endnotes
Full text of the ipa Declaration of the Child’s Right to Play available at http://
ipaworld.org/about-us/declaration/ipa-declaration-of-the-childs-right-to-play/.
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