1. Introduction
Children’s right to play is stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Article 31: “1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” [
1] (p. 9). Furthermore, in 2013 a General Comment on the Right to Play was compiled, and several links between play and school context were stated, highlighting the importance of educational environments as play promotion settings [
2]. Play in schools has been decreasing due to academic pressure; this restriction in play opportunities can constrain children’s opportunities for creativity, exploration, and social development [
2].
Alongside the importance of the right to play in schools, we must highlight the significance of play to the overall development of children. Play develops children’s social and emotional skills and their ability to manage stress, and it promotes resilience and flexibility when facing uncertainty [
3]. Evidence has shown that play, health, and well-being are closely connected [
2,
4,
5].
When considering play opportunities in schools, recess comes to mind. Recess is one setting that can improve children’s experience, with studies dispelling the ancient ideas that the impact of recess on children’s lives was insignificant [
6]. Studies have confirmed that recess also influences children’s academic achievements [
7,
8], as children’s behaviour, focus, and mood in the classroom improve as a result of recess [
9]. Greater levels of attention and productivity are also reported as a result of recess [
10]. Another crucial point of play at school is children’s peer interactions: recess can promote healthy relationships amongst children, as well as prevent bullying and social exclusion [
7]. Children would rather play with friends than alone [
11], and in this setting several competencies such as negotiation, cooperation, problem-solving, perseverance and self-control are developed [
10].
Unfortunately, evidence has also shown that the potential of play during recess in schools is often ignored, with schools seldom investing in this. Even before the pandemic, school recess had already been facing challenges; professionals acknowledged the importance of recess, but shared the perception that children nowadays do not know how to play, and that the lack of activities, equipment, materials, and human resources leads, for instance, to moments of social conflict [
7].
Fun is a key component when children evaluate their school recess; if children feel limited in their play opportunities, recess is perceived as boring, and therefore the renewal of play opportunities and materials is crucial [
11]. Children consider being with friends and playing as their favorite features of recess and consider fighting and bullying as their least favorite [
7]. Physically active games seem to be children’s favorite, but more sedentary options are also stated by some children, especially in scenarios where a lack of play opportunities or ideas is prevalent [
11]. Both genders express a deep interest in active play. Girls demonstrate a wider range of activities at school recess, whereas boys prefer sports and activities that include intense physical exercise [
6,
12,
13]. Children are also sensitive to the physical layout of the recess space, stating that wide-open spaces are better and that a space free of structures and without overcrowding is better [
11]. Regarding spaces, previous research has shown that the sports field is the most used space by children during recess, followed by natural spaces. The most used play materials are balls, (especially by boys) and items brought from home, since schools seldom provide play materials [
13].
In 2020, profound changes took place in children’s physical and social environments due to COVID-19, with the pandemic impacting different matters in children’s daily lives [
14]. Children were deprived of going to school, one of the most important settings for their overall development. The first case of COVID-19 in Portugal appeared in March 2020, with the government closing primary schools from 16 March until mid-September 2020, opening for a new school year, and closing schools once again in the first months of 2021, totalling 24 weeks of closure [
15].
Before the pandemic, children could move around during recess freely and could play with children from all classes. A lack of play materials was overcome by children bringing toys and games from home [
13]. In the pandemic, following guidance from the General Directorate of Health and the General Directorate of Education, with some input from families and children, the changes made were as follows: children were organized into “bubbles”; interaction with other groups was avoided, namely, through different schedules for entrance, recess, and lunch; breaks between classes were sometimes reduced; spaces for each group, where children should stay at all times, were defined; circulation paths were established; play material brought from home was forbidden, and the use of items (for instance, play materials), should be carefully managed and for individual use only [
16]. Educational institutions were deeply focused on these precautionary measures to combat the spread of the virus, overlooking the need to promote a rich physical environment that would support children’s activities and balance safety, risk-taking, and active play [
17]. Children from other locations (e.g., Canada and other European countries) faced similar restrictions, with evidence showing that free movement was constrained at schools, with children confined to particular spaces for the entire week. This also lead to a change in the overall social patterns of children with their peers [
18,
19]. Experts have provided guidance around safe recess practices, and have also shared ideas to continue providing opportunities to play, e.g., creating bins of play materials to be used by each specific class, assuming a risk-benefit approach regarding active play [
8].
The pandemic has also made an impact within research, with studies now focusing on collecting data on several matters that might have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, sleep and general behavior at home for small children [
20], parental experience regarding pandemic restrictions and its impact on their children’s movement [
21], and children’s independent mobility and physical activity [
18], among others. Regarding play experiences in quarantine and restrictive environments, there is ongoing work suggesting that the right to play is impacted by restrictive environments, due to changes in access to play opportunities [
22]. To our knowledge, research on education and COVID-19 mainly focuses on online learning processes, home-schooling, and inequalities, so data are needed on other elements; namely, children’s right to play in school. National (e.g., Portuguese General Directorate of Health and Portuguese Paediatric Society) and international institutions (e.g., UNESCO, International Play Association, and Right to Play) have requested that the right to play be considered, even in the pandemic [
23,
24,
25]. The role of play in children’s coping and resilience mechanisms in uncertain and traumatic times is undeniable [
26], and school’s recess as a place for children’s healing should not be overlooked [
8]. This is particularly important since feelings of anxiety and depression among children are on the rise [
27]. Actions to support children’s mental health, children’s play, and health promotion strategies are needed [
18,
27].
For this matter, data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) could help professionals to adequately identify the activities and materials available at recess that promote HRQOL. Evidence confirms that children’s experiences in recess could be an indicator of HRQOL among school-aged children; more vigorous physical activities and the use of sports equipment relate to physical HRQOL, specific play-based movement relates to physical and emotional HRQOL, and playing on hard-surfaced areas relates to all HRQOL dimensions [
6].
This paper aims to identify children’s play experiences in primary education during the pandemic, seeking to determine what activities children participated in, what materials were used, and what social interactions between peers are like today. Furthermore, links between the children’s quality of life and play activities at school are explored.
4. Discussion
The present study sheds light on how children’s play activities in primary education settings have been experienced during the pandemic, by providing children’s own perspectives, a point identified in the literature [
22].
From our results, recess still emerges as a very important element of children’s daily lives, with most children enjoying recess because they have opportunities to play, have fun, and be with their friends, which is confirmed by previous research [
7,
11]. In previous research, bullying and peer conflict [
7] were the main reasons stated for not enjoying recess. Our study confirmed that the children felt that recess was not long enough and, since COVID-19 restrictions have appeared, that the time to play had been shortened, and that there were limitations on free movement.
The lack of materials, as well as school guidelines and rules, were cited as reasons why more than half of the children were not doing certain activities that they would like to do. Moreover, many children justified restrictions with “it is forbidden”, which leads us to believe that children may not understand the reasons behind the rules or guidance. This is particularly important to prevent disruptive behaviors and feelings of injustice. However, the pandemic has left its mark in this matter. About a quarter of the children shared that the constraints in their play experience were connected to COVID-19; namely, with regard to bringing toys and games to school, moving around during recess, and interacting with their peers. The lack of play material available in schools was already a reality that existed before the pandemic [
7], but it seems clear that this was aggravated by COVID-19 restrictions. Prior studies have identified that items brought from home are one of the most used materials by children during recess [
13], and therefore schools should be aware that investment in play materials is critical. Schools should not overlook the need to have a rich play environment [
17] and should continue providing play opportunities for children; namely, by prioritizing the suggestions of creating bins of equipment [
8] for each class.
Considering the activities that are not allowed, sports and other physical play were the first activities that seem to have been restricted. This type of play should be encouraged, considering the need to promote healthy lifestyles during childhood to prevent child obesity and a sedentary lifestyle [
37], and promote HRQOL [
38]. The evidence before the pandemic is clear in stating that children did not achieve the recommended daily amount of physical activity [
37]. Research on children’s physical activity in the pandemic showed that the lack of physical activity worsened after the pandemic, with children showing a decrease, as a result of confinement and social isolation [
39,
40]. Teachers and other school professionals should be supported to allow active play opportunities to happen for children, and to ensure administrative and financial support from the school’s management [
41].
With regard to social interactions, the findings are consistent with previous research, with most children preferring to play with friends rather than be alone [
11]. Nevertheless, about half of the children would like to have more friends, as they enjoy meeting new people and feel it would allow them to play more and to have more fun. The establishment of new relationships between peers could be compromised, since social interactions have suffered deep changes with the pandemic [
19]. This is particularly relevant since healthy relationships, promoted by peer interaction at recess, prevent bullying and exclusion [
7] and stimulate a series of interpersonal competencies [
10]. Furthermore, the children who had already mentioned having few friends and feelings of loneliness could experience reduced opportunities to socially interact.
We should be particularly attentive to the messages we provide children regarding the pandemic. Some children seem to be afraid of touching people or materials, which, alongside the changes in children’s daily lives, can contribute to an increase in mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, in childhood [
42]. We found that, regarding HRQOL, the dimension that had the lowest score was emotional functioning. Experts suggest that children, when returning to school, might show some behavioral changes (e.g., difficulties in self-regulation and conflict management as well as aggressive or withdrawal behaviors), and school professionals should play a key role in supporting children to overcome these challenges [
8]. This should be further investigated, to combat the collateral damage caused to mental health as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children still enjoy recess, which shows their ability to make the most of every opportunity, as well as their natural inclination to play [
43]. Alongside the lack of material and school guidelines, COVID-19 is now perceived as another reason why children see their play experience at school constrained. Before the pandemic, play as a child’s right was already frequently overlooked [
2]; it seems that our results imply that the right to play at school is under threat. The pandemic could be used as an excuse not to invest in recess, thus limiting children’s experience and opportunities, and this could cause severe damage in children’s overall development.
The information we currently have regarding the guidelines for the next school year (2021–2022) allows us to state that the focus is still on COVID-19 management, with little focus on children’s right to play and its recovery. The General Directorate of Health and the General Directorate of Education have kept the guidelines that were in place last year (e.g., preventing contact between classes) and reviewed only the rules for quarantine and management of positive cases in schools [
44]. On the other hand, the Portuguese Ministry of Education released a plan for recovery that highlights the need for social and emotional support for children, both during the pandemic and post-pandemic [
45].
Despite the limited available evidence linking the lack of play as a result of quarantine and the pandemic restrictive environments to children’s overall health [
22], it is an unquestionable fact that children express their emotions and fears through play, especially in environments that are supportive [
43]. In future research, data collected on children’s play experiences should include children’s views of improvements to recess enjoyment during the pandemic. Children’s opinions about the changes that were made in recess due to the pandemic are key. Research is needed on these opinions regarding activities and equipment management, and the involvement of children in recess planning and organization should be promoted [
8]. Deep knowledge of the school’s play environment, as perceived by children, is crucial in the design of future intervention programs aimed at restoring children’s well-being [
14] and recess’ potential to promote overall health and well-being. Furthermore, there are two points that our study does not address, which should be taken into account in future studies: the gathering of data from other stakeholders, such as teachers, school staff and school directors; and the use of multiple sources to achieve an in-depth knowledge of the children’s reality (e.g., combine qualitative and quantitative sources of information).