The play of forcibly displaced Iraqi and Syrian children seeking refuge in Lebanon: opportunities, culture, and trauma

Children exposed to armed conflict and forced displacement experience grave violations of their rights, including their right to play. This paper addresses the often-overlooked phenomenon of play in the lives of displaced refugee children, focussing on doctoral research with 4- to 8-year-old Iraqi and Syrian children and their families displaced to areas northeast of Beirut, Lebanon. A summary review is presented of literature around play and childhood cultures, liminality during forced displacement, the effects of traumatic experience on children's play and play as therapy, followed by reflections on the 'Day in the Life' methodology as a sensitive approach to work with vulnerable, displaced families. Homing in on four case study children's play opportunities (materials and resources, people, time, and space), the paper illustrates how social, cultural, economic and political factors act as boundaries for the children's freedoms and play experiences, and how physical and creative play unfolded within the confines of restricted play spaces. Discussion centres on children and their parents' playful inventiveness, and how family cultures are woven into children's lives.