Ανιχνεύοντας τις αλλαγές που συμβαίνουν στο σύγχρονο παιχνίδι. Εισαγωγικό Σημείωμα

Abstract

The global and multidimensional explosion of interest in children's play currently being observed in research, in and out of schools is very encouraging and is largely due to various efforts to advocate for children's right to play. However, a growing number of voices of concern are now warning us that children's play is under threat. In this article, which is the introductory note to the special issue 'Modern Children's Play' of the Greek journal ΟΜΕΡ 'Exploring Children's World', we discuss current issues that seem to be critical in reducing opportunities for play, such as the urbanisation of contemporary life and unfriendly modern cities, recurrent crises, the competitive society and the consequent acceleration of childhood, the lack of visibility of children and their needs, the lack of policies that advocate for play, and the inadequate understanding of children's play. At the same time, however, new examples can be found in contemporary studies by researchers who take children's play seriously. It has been shown that children find ways of responding to constraints. They redefine their play by observing changes in the world and using the means available to them. The discussion that follows concludes that children's play, as it is constantly changing, remains elusive and certainly cannot be interpreted with unidimensional perspectives and traditional beliefs, nor with simplistic assumptions and slogans. Accepting and recognising the complexity of children's play today and continually exploring its value seem to be essential ingredients for understanding and advocating for it in today's world. [...]