We are proud to launch our new strategy and brand
Blog by Essie North, CEO Big Change
Blog
Let’s Get Children Playing Again
To mark the International Day of Play, Christian Bunting, Director of Bradford Birth to 19, explores what play really means for young children today, and what’s getting in the way.
What if the most powerful tool for a child’s development was already in their hands: a stick or a song?
We set up 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five with backing from Big Change to give families simple, fun, low-cost ways to support their children’s development through play.
The kind of play that involves mud, bubbles, sticks, songs, conversations, and exploring the world just outside your door.
These everyday moments are more than just fun, they’re essential building blocks for how young children grow, learn, and connect.
Less Screen Time, More Playtime
This year, we’ve launched a new campaign: Less Screen Time: More Playtime. It’s a response to something we’re seeing and hearing more and more, that young children are spending increasing amounts of time in front of screens, and it’s having a real effect on their development.
We’re not anti-technology. We know screens are part of modern life, and many families are doing their best under challenging circumstances. But we also know that too much screen time can affect children and their:
- communication and language development
- ability to regulate emotions
- sleep and eating patterns
- physical activity
- their eyesight
This campaign is about raising awareness and offering realistic, engaging alternatives. We’ve created free resources that make it easier for families, and the professionals who support them, to step away from the screen and back into playful learning.
Why play matters
Play isn’t just something that fills time. It’s how children make sense of the world. It supports confidence, wellbeing, curiosity, and social connection. We hear again and again from early years practitioners how play helps prepare children for school and for life. It’s how they build the skills and resilience they’ll carry into the future. Over a third of four- and five-year-olds are not ready for school, and many of the young children we currently support are already disadvantaged by the effects and legacy of COVID-19 policies in their first months of life. Play prepares children for school, underpinning all the skills and behaviours needed for starting well. It develops children's physical health and their wellbeing, which leads to improved school attendance and the resilience needed to live life to the fullest.
But the truth is, play is under threat. Outdoor play has halved in just one generation. Structured routines, screen distractions, safety concerns, and the lasting impact of the pandemic are all playing a role. That’s why we’re joining the Centre for Young Lives in calling for national leadership on this issue.
Play isn’t just something that fills time. It’s how children make sense of the world. It supports confidence, wellbeing, curiosity, and social connection. We hear again and again from early years practitioners how play helps prepare children for school and for life.
Christian Bunting
Backing a National Play Strategy
Alongside our campaign, we’re proud to be part of the Raising the Nation initiative and to support calls for a National Play Strategy for England. We’ve been working with Paul Lindley OBE and his team of national play commissioners to produce a report asking the UK government to show leadership in this area. The last play strategy was shelved over 17 years ago. Since then, Scotland and Wales have taken real strides in putting play at the heart of their early years policy. It’s time England did the same. And we’re thrilled that 50 Things will be an important recommendation within the report.
We’ve helped draft a collective letter to the government, urging ministers to take action and that letter has gathered over a 1000 signatures from schools and early years settings, from GPs, architects, Local Authorities, academia and other sectors already. Play shouldn’t be a postcode lottery. Every child should have the right, and the opportunity, to play, no matter their background.
