Children's Right to Play

Exploring play in the U.S. reveals adult ambivalence about play, the dominance of competitive consumerism in this sphere of children’s lives, and structural injustices that impact who plays and who is left out. The right to play must respond to children as embodied, relational, developing, and spiri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mary M. Doyle Roche
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Moral Theology, Inc. 2018-01-01
Series:Journal of Moral Theology
Online Access:https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/11386-children-s-right-to-play
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author Mary M. Doyle Roche
author_facet Mary M. Doyle Roche
author_sort Mary M. Doyle Roche
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description Exploring play in the U.S. reveals adult ambivalence about play, the dominance of competitive consumerism in this sphere of children’s lives, and structural injustices that impact who plays and who is left out. The right to play must respond to children as embodied, relational, developing, and spiritual persons; it must have some concrete measures including time, space, access to playthings, and a broad network of guarantors. Thinking about play as participation in the common good and playfulness as a virtue enhances child well-being and adult flourishing. Looking at play through the lens of the common good tradition within Catholic social teaching, with its insistence on the connection between rights and responsibilities, solidarity, and subsidiarity, opens a way to think about play as a form of participation for children and as a virtuous practice of resistance and transformation for all people.
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spelling doaj.art-4e30f3dcb5c94dc18ee1af575705f7d82023-10-20T17:34:15ZengThe Journal of Moral Theology, Inc.Journal of Moral Theology2166-28512166-21182018-01-0171Children's Right to PlayMary M. Doyle RocheExploring play in the U.S. reveals adult ambivalence about play, the dominance of competitive consumerism in this sphere of children’s lives, and structural injustices that impact who plays and who is left out. The right to play must respond to children as embodied, relational, developing, and spiritual persons; it must have some concrete measures including time, space, access to playthings, and a broad network of guarantors. Thinking about play as participation in the common good and playfulness as a virtue enhances child well-being and adult flourishing. Looking at play through the lens of the common good tradition within Catholic social teaching, with its insistence on the connection between rights and responsibilities, solidarity, and subsidiarity, opens a way to think about play as a form of participation for children and as a virtuous practice of resistance and transformation for all people.https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/11386-children-s-right-to-play
spellingShingle Mary M. Doyle Roche
Children's Right to Play
Journal of Moral Theology
title Children's Right to Play
title_full Children's Right to Play
title_fullStr Children's Right to Play
title_full_unstemmed Children's Right to Play
title_short Children's Right to Play
title_sort children s right to play
url https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/11386-children-s-right-to-play
work_keys_str_mv AT marymdoyleroche childrensrighttoplay