Playtimes is an online collection of film and audio recordings documenting 100 years of children’s songs, rhymes and games.
Featured articles
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Pretend play
Pretend play is an important part of children's development, Jackie Marsh examines the progress of pretend play.
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Counting out rhymes
Children have a variety of ways to fairly decide who is 'it', Julia Bishop explores the development of 'counting out' games.
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Clapping games
Clapping games have been a popular form of children's play for generations, Julia Bishop examines their continued popularity in 21st century.
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Humour, jokes and rude rhymes
Dr Andrew Burn examines the role of jokes, rude rhymes and humour in children's play.
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Skipping games
Skipping games were once the most popular games in Britain but have recently been in decline, Julia Bishop explores the rise and fall of skipping games.
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Influences on children's play
The way children play can be greatly affected by numerous factors from media culture to the balance between the genders in the playgroup; the following short videos examine some of these topics.
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An introduction to singing and dancing
Singing and dancing games have been popular for generations.
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An introduction to ball games
Ball games are, of course, a test of skill and coordination in all playgrounds, but they’re also part of a long cultural history.
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Themes
Explore key Playtimes themes
Collection items
Explore over 100 film and audio recordings
Children's jokes
Date: 1974 - 1978
Leapfrog (1900)
Date: 1900
Body popping
Date: 2010
Up down
Date: 1951
Everyday Scenarios
Date: 1947
Whip and tops
Date: 1975
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