Social topography of children’s play: focusing on the middle-class parenting practices in South Korea

Abstract

This study aims to understand the ways in which children’s play is situated in and shaped by middle-class parenting practices in South Korea. Drawing on a set of data collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 parents having children aged 6–11 years, I observe that despite the widespread rhetoric of the significance of play, parents’ scheduling of their children’s daily routine centres around ‘study’, while play, especially free play, is left for in between times and limited spaces. Play is prominently associated with and instrumental in developing children’s social skills and ensuring their emotional state. In line with the trend in the Global North where a broader concept of play is being institutionalised and incorporated into organised enrichment activities, play spaces are increasingly becoming a site of strategic family consumption. The changing geographies of play strongly reflect the neoliberal climate which generates anxiety and exhaustion related to parenting practices.