The Evolution of Hospital Play in the UK and Repercussions for Japan: A Socio-historical Perspective

All children need the time, place, and opportunity for play, regardless of who they are or where they live. This fundamental need is embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This paper addresses the interpretation of the child’s right to play in the case of children who are sick or in need of hospital or community healthcare. Over the course of the past 150 years, the care of sick children has evolved to the point where play is recognized as a key element of pediatric provision in many nations of the world; the ‘hospital play’ profession has grown from its tentative introduction in the UK in the 1950s to become part of a worldwide movement for the child’s right to play. Written in collaboration with Japan Hospital Play Association, which marks fifteen years of hospital play in Japan, this paper celebrates the importance of understanding the history of the past in order to make meaning of the history of the now.