O que é brincar?
IPA Brasil quickly established itself as an institutional reference in the fight for the realization of the right to play in Brazil.
Officially, the organization is recognized as a Child and Adolescent Rights Advocacy Organization by the City Council of São Paulo, as a Cultural Point by the Ministry of Culture (MINC) under the Culture Viva Program, and is also a member of the National Early Childhood Network - RNPI Brazil and the Latin American Platform of terre des hommes/Germany.
In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Agentes do Brincar® initiative, by IPA Brasil, received the Municipal Seal for Human Rights and Diversity in São Paulo.
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The universe of play is playful and very serious. Play stimulates the creativity and social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children and adolescents as a whole, regardless of their level of ability. Additionally, it is fundamental for creating emotional bonds and strengthens empathy, building resilience in practice.
Today, the subject is already extensively studied, but the truth is that the right to free play still faces many threats. These include academic pressure, violence, child labor, technological entrapment, among others. However, in our opinion, the most serious one is the lack of information and training for adults.
The right to play is internationally guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 31/1989) and its General Comment (#17/2013). In Brazil, the right to play is enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution (Article 227/1988), the ECA - Statute of the Child and Adolescent (Article 16/1990), and the Legal Framework for Early Childhood (Article 17/2016).
Free Play
stimulates the creativity and social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children and adolescents.
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Play is
a right guaranteed by law and essential for the complete and healthy development of the human being.
But what can we do to ensure the right to play? What are the main challenges we face?
We believe that there are four essential elements to ensure the right to play – included in a model that we call the Rolimã Cart Model, created by Marilena Flores Martins and Janine Dodge.
To fulfill the right to play, it is necessary for each of the four elements – or wheels – to be present. If any of them is missing, the car doesn't move – and the right is not realized.
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The Carrinho de Rolimã Model
The first wheel is space: for play, children need accessible, qualified, and safe spaces.
The second wheel is time: it is the adults who offer permission and enough time to play.
The third wheel concerns public officials and members of the rights guarantee system who need to be informed and sensitized about the legal principles that ensure the right to play for all children. They need to be committed to the right to play, ready to act in its defense and realization.
And the fourth wheel emphasizes that parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with and for children need to be sensitized, trained, and mobilized to support play.
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