Meaning of children's culture
Culture is the way of life of a group: what they sing, eat, wear, play and believe. Children's culture is the part of culture that belongs to children. It has two sources:
- Made for children by adults: picture books, cartoons, lullabies, toys, children's festivals and plays.
- Made by children themselves: street games, counting rhymes, secret codes, pretend worlds, riddles.
It is passed on in two ways: from grandparents and parents to children, and from older children to younger ones in the lane or school playground. A rhyme can travel for hundreds of years without being written down.
Children's culture matters because it makes a child feel they belong, gives joy, and teaches language, rules and values without a lesson.
Children's play and expression
Play is something a child does freely, for fun, with no fixed result. Four common kinds:
- Running (physical) play: chasing, jumping, climbing. It builds strong bodies and balance.
- Pretend play: playing house, shop or doctor. It builds imagination, language and understanding of others' feelings.
- Building play: blocks, clay, sand. It builds thinking, planning and finger skills.
- Games with rules: ludo, hopscotch, football. They teach taking turns, fairness and handling a loss.
A child can also play alone, next to others or together. Together-play comes with age.
Expression means showing thoughts and feelings. Children do this by drawing and making (art), speaking and storytelling (language) and singing, dancing and moving (music and movement). Adults help by giving materials, time and a safe, kind audience, not by correcting. The child's effort matters more than a pretty result.
Media and change. Today children also meet screens: cartoons, games and videos. Screens can teach, but they cannot replace running, pretending and building. Experts advise short, shared screen time and plenty of real play.
Places supporting children's culture
- Home: lullabies, stories, family festivals, first toys.
- School and pre-school: group games, art, music, drama and sports.
- Library: books, story hours and a quiet place to read.
- Playground and open spaces: safe room to run, climb and play with others.
- Museums and community centres: hands-on exhibits, workshops, festivals and children's theatre.
A town that keeps its parks, libraries and cultural centres safe and open to all children, including children with disability and poor families, supports children's culture best.
Try it: a play diary
For one week, note in a table which kind of play you did each day (running, pretend, building, rules, screen) and for how long. Is the see-saw in balance? Add one kind you missed.
Key formulas and definitions
- Children's culture = made for children + made by children
- Four kinds of play: running, pretend, building, rules
- Three ways to express: draw/make, speak/tell, sing/move
- Supporting places: home, school, library, playground, museum/centre
- Key terms: culture, play, expression, imagination, generation
Worked examples
1. Give two examples of children's culture made by children and two made for children.
By children: a counting-out rhyme before a game; a secret code between friends. For children: a picture book; a lullaby or a cartoon.
2. A child builds a tower with blocks, it falls, and the child builds it again. Which kind of play is this and what is learned?
Building play. The child learns planning, balance, patience and trying again after a mistake.
3. A child plays 'shopkeeper' with friends. Which skills grow?
Pretend play grows language, imagination, counting, taking turns and understanding others' roles and feelings.
4. A colony has no park. Suggest two ways to help children play.
Make a safe playground or street-play hour with no vehicles, and open the school ground after school. A small community library corner can also help.
Common mistakes
- Thinking play is wasted time. Play is how young children learn.
- Thinking children's culture is only toys bought in a shop. Rhymes and street games are culture too.
- Correcting a child's drawing too much. Expression grows when the child feels free.
- Giving screens to replace all play. Children also need to move, build and talk.