Explain that children have the right to go to an education and to go to school. They also have the right to leisure time for play and relaxation. As they get older, some young people like to take part-time paid jobs to earn some money to spend. The amount of time we spend at school, play and work varies as we grow up. Invite the group to think about each of the ages in the list. Ask the Pioneers to consider how much of the time they think a person would spend: playing, at school, and working at each stage. What do they think is the right balance?
• Age 3
• Age 7
• Age 13
• Age 18
Write up each age from the list. Under each heading draw a circle.
The circles represent an average day. Divide each circle up according to the proportion of the day they think the person would spend playing / relaxing; at school / studying at home; and doing a paid job.
You’ll find that at some ages there are only one or two relevant categories. Draw a symbol in each section to represent what it shows (e.g. toy for ‘playing’, book for ‘studying’, and money for ‘doing a job’). You could estimate the proportion of time each section represents (e.g. play 20%, school 75%, work 5%).
Suggest that people’s ideas may vary depending on where they live: in some countries children start school later. In some countries children sometimes leave after primary school, to do paid work to support their families. Think about the situation in your own country, then try to think how it would be different in another country