{"id":12776,"date":"2021-01-09T12:07:45","date_gmt":"2021-01-09T12:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/?p=12776"},"modified":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","slug":"why-do-we-need-a-year-of-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/2021\/01\/why-do-we-need-a-year-of-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we need a Year of Childhood?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Year<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2018Great news!\u2019 I said to my chum. \u20182021 has been declared The Year of Childhood in Scotland.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

She looked underwhelmed. Then thought for a bit and asked: \u2018Hang on, haven\u2019t we already had a Year of Childhood?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018No,\u2019 I said. \u2018That was the Year of Young People.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Ah!\u00a0 I see\u2026\u2019 Her eyes glazed over. \u2018So when do we get the Year of Disgruntled, Disillusioned 45-Year-Olds?\u2019<\/p>\n

Happy new 2021?<\/h2>\n

I couldn\u2019t blame her. \u00a0The last year\u2019s been pretty miserable for everyone.\u00a0 \u00a0But, like everyone, I was hoping that, as the New Year dawned, we could start looking forward to a COVID-free future and folk might be interested in a Year of Childhood \u2013 and in particular at reforms to universal state services during the early years of childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then came new-variant COVID and we all went into lockdown again\u2026<\/p>\n

Little children all over the country are once again banged up indoors, staring glassily at screens, either as part of their \u2018online learning\u2019 or because screen-based entertainment is the only form of \u2018play\u2019 available. We already know how seriously the lockdown of spring 2020 impacted on children\u2019s mental health, especially those in disadvantaged families. For people living in cramped, uncertain conditions, everyday stresses were hugely magnified, and many children spent the entire three months trapped indoors, witnessing unimaginable family traumas.<\/p>\n

Of course, lockdown also gave some lucky parents in wealthier areas the chance to enjoy spending time with their offspring (who could run off steam in the garden and accompany them on family walks in parks and local wild places). But I think they were in the minority.\u00a0 Most \u2018advantaged\u2019 mums and dads suddenly found themselves juggling home-working with home-schooling, which often put them under enormous pressure.<\/p>\n

So the new lockdown announced on 4th<\/sup><\/span> January has been seriously deflating. \u00a0Once again there are so many pressing grown-up problems to deal with that disgruntled, disillusioned adults of any age can be excused from feeling excited by a Year of Childhood<\/a>, announced to celebrate the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. \u00a0<\/p>\n

21st Century childhood: state of play<\/h2>\n

Nevertheless, we weary advocates for a \u2018good childhood\u2019 must carry on screaming the message we\u2019ve been trying to convey over the last few decades because it\u2019s not just for the immediate benefit of children. If children don\u2019t flourish during their early formative years, there are long-term consequences for their phy\"A<\/a>sical and mental health, with damaging socio-economic implications for society. \u00a0We\u2019ll therefore keep explaining that \u2013 even before COVID \u2013 everything in the garden wasn\u2019t exactly lovely for our weans.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not just the 25% of children who live in poverty (although they, of course, have a very tough time indeed) but all<\/em> <\/b>children. The under-eighteens may generally be richer in material goods and services than previous generations, but they\u2019re universally poorer as far as support for their physical, emotional and social development goes.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

From an increasingly early age, modern youngsters are directly subjected to far more psychological pressures than their 20th century peers. There\u2019s pressure from a competitive consumer culture to think they need more and more stuff, pressure from social media to look and behave in ways considered \u2018cool\u2019, and pressure from politicians and the educational establishment to continually raise their \u2018attainment\u2019 in school.<\/p>\n

Yet the two key developmental ingredients that develop the resilience needed to cope with all this goading and browbeating are nowadays often lacking during early childhood. This is defined by the UNCRC as birth to eight, \u2018a period of rapid growth, when brain development is at its peak\u2019, when children develop essential skills and capacities for lifelong learning and well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first of these ingredients, which lucky children have enjoyed since time immemorial, is active, social, outdoor play<\/a> \u2013 with minimal interference from adults. For a host of reasons, young children no longer have the freedom to play and explore outdoors, developing a sense of control of their own lives and learning how to socialise with their pals.<\/p>\n

The second ingredient \u2013 also available to lucky children throughout human history \u2013 is secure attachment.<\/span><\/a> \u00a0Young children\u2019s freedom to play has to be balanced by knowledge that there\u2019s a \u2018safe haven\u2019 to which they can return at any time. The founder of attachment theory, John Bowlby, described this attachment\/play cycle as \u2018a series of daring adventures from a secure base\u2019.\u00a0 But now that both parents tend to work long hours (or, possibly, have no paid work and are desperately trying to put food on the table), it\u2019s far less likely that children feel they have constant access to adult carers who are loving, supportive and non-judgemental.<\/p>\n

If children are under pressure during such a critical stage of development (without the protective factors of play and secure attachment) it can impact on the rest of their lives. So it\u2019s not surprising that Scotland \u2013 like the rest of the UK \u2013 is experiencing an epidemic of mental health problems among children and young people.\u00a0 An epidemic that, thanks to COVID-19, is now a terrifying threat to the long-term health of the nation.<\/p>\n

Why isn’t Scotland the best place in the world to grow up?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Upstart Scotland \u2013 the childhood campaign of which I\u2019m Chair – has just published a book called Play is the Way: child development, early years and the future of Scottish education<\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/a> In it, eighteen writers from a wide range of professional backgrounds argue the case for a rights-centred, relationship-centred, play-based kindergarten stage for children aged three to seven (similar to the early years provision in the Nordic countries).\u00a0 All the evidence suggests that, in a 21st<\/sup><\/span> century context, this is the most effective way to provide the love and play young children need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One theme that keeps cropping up in the book is the problem of cultural expectations and assumptions, which act as barriers to changing the way our universal state services work. In the film of <\/span>Play is the Way<\/i><\/span>\u2019s official launch,<\/span><\/a> developmental neuroscientist Suzanne Zeedyk concludes that these cultural factors are so deep-rooted that \u201cpeople do things [that may be harmful to children] with the best of intentions because they feel \u2018normal\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

For instance, we take it for granted that children should start work on the three Rs (reading, writing and \u2018rithmetic) at age four or five because that\u2019s been the school starting age for 150 years. Yet in the overwhelming majority of countries worldwide \u2013 including all those that do better than Scotland in the international charts of education success \u2013 formal schooling doesn\u2019t begin till children are six or seven. Levels of childhood wellbeing tend to be higher too (especially in the Nordic countries).<\/p>\n

We in Scotland are also so accustomed to valuing \u2018education\u2019 over \u2018just playing\u2019 that we simply don\u2019t recognise the enormous value of play for children\u2019s long-term health and well-being. Yet there\u2019s now an enormous body of scientific evidence that it\u2019s an essential element in every area of child development \u2013 not just the more obvious aspects like resilience, self-regulation, creativity and social skills, but also intellectual development, depth of learning and motivation to learn.<\/p>\n

Another example of embedded cultural attitudes is that we\u2019re so used to thinking of life as a competitive struggle for economic success childhood has turned into a sort of race, with parents terrified that their children might be \u2018left behind\u2019.\u00a0 Yet childhood isn\u2019t a race. It\u2019s a biological stage in human development. All children need time and space to grow and \u2013 especially in the early years \u2013 attempts to accelerate progress usually do more harm than good in the long run. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Realising the ambition for Scotland’s children<\/h2>\n

There is however, some good news. In February 2020, Education Scotland published new practice guidance for early years practitioners (Realising the Ambition: Being Me<\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/a>, covering the period from birth to age six or seven. It is a brilliant document, based on sound developmental science and successful practice \u2013 and, despite COVID distractions \u2013 the Scottish early years sector has been absolutely buzzing about it.<\/p>\n

The bad news is that, unless Scotland as a whole becomes aware of the importance of the early years (including the central role of play in the care and education of the under-sevens) early years practitioners and teachers are unlikely to get the support they need from parents and policy-makers, so the ambition is unlikely to be realised. This has happened in other parts of the UK, where high hopes were eroded within a few years.<\/p>\n

Upstart Scotland commissioned Play is the Way<\/i> (published on 31-10-20) to help spread the word about Realising the Ambition<\/i> and the science behind it. We\u2019ve been thrilled at how well it\u2019s been received<\/span><\/a> and the enthusiasm of its readers.\u00a0 Indeed, some were so enthusiastic that they raised enough money (through crowdfunding) for us to give a copy of the book to every MSP and Director of Education in Scotland. \u00a0I wish we could give one to everybody in the country, but that\u2019s definitely too ambitious\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, we\u2019re relying on the Year of Childhood to carry on getting the word out. \u00a0And hoping that \u2013 once the COVID vaccine allows us to look forward to a brighter future \u2013 people will no longer feel too disgruntled and disillusioned to listen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Delivering<\/a><\/p>\n

Play is the Way<\/i> is published by Postcards from Scotland<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scotland \u2013 like the rest of the UK \u2013 is experiencing an epidemic of mental health problems among children and young people.\u00a0 An epidemic that, thanks to COVID19, is now a terrifying threat to the long-term health of the nation. But there is hope \u2013 if we can seize the opportunity, writes Sue Palmer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":12780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[706],"tags":[604,478,103,215,37,495],"class_list":["post-12776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society","tag-covid-19","tag-lockdown","tag-mental-health","tag-schools","tag-scottish-education","tag-upstart-scotland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12776"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18611,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12776\/revisions\/18611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}