Peer-reviewed article
Do children have a right to do nothing? Exploring the place of passive leisure in Australian school age care
Jennifer Cartmel, Bruce Hurst, Francis Bobongie‐Harris, Fay Hadley, Lennie Barblett et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines whether passive leisure—time for children to rest and do nothing—should be included in Australian school-age care services. The researchers trialled the introduction of passive leisure spaces in school-age care settings as part of an update to the national curriculum framework. The findings suggest that passive leisure can be valuable, creating spaces that are interactive, conversational and restful rather than merely inactive.
Key points
- Passive leisure was trialled as an update to Australia's My Time Our Place curriculum framework for school-age care
- Passive leisure is recognised as a child's right but is often viewed negatively and linked to poor health outcomes
- Passive leisure spaces were found to be interactive, conversational and restful
- The trial provides evidence that passive leisure has a legitimate place in school-age care provision
Limitations
The document is an abstract that does not provide details on the sample size, methodology, duration of the trial, or specific measures used to assess outcomes. It does not specify what constitutes 'passive leisure' in practice or provide detailed findings about which children benefited most.
Abstract
In 2021, the Australian Government commissioned a review and update of My Time Our Place, its curriculum framework for School-Age Care services for primary-age children. One update trialled was the introduction of passive leisure. Whilst children’s passive use of leisure time is recognised as a right, it is often problematised and associated with negative health outcomes. This article explores a trial of passive leisure provision. It provides hopeful evidence that passive leisure spaces can be interactive, conversational and restful.