Welcome to rethinking childhood: a website that introduces the work of Tim Gill. Tim is one of the UK's leading thinkers on childhood and an effective advocate for change. His work focuses on children's play and free time.
Tim argues that children and young people have the potential to be more resilient, capable, creative and able to learn than we give them credit for. Yet children’s lives are becoming ever more scheduled, controlled and directed. Tim believes that if children are to enjoy and make the most of their lives, we need to revisit and revise our ideas of what a good childhood looks and feels like.
Tim’s book No Fear: Growing up in a risk averse society was published in 2007. His journalism has been widely published, and he has also been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Tim has carried out major projects for the Forestry Commission, Mayor of London, National Children’s Bureau and Play England, amongst other agencies, and has advised political parties and think tanks across the political spectrum. Tim is in demand as a public speaker and has given talks and run workshops across the UK and in mainland Europe, the USA, Australasia and Japan. He appears regularly in the media. Read more about Tim
Latest news
Tim to appear on Panorama
Tim is taking part in a debate on the Government's vetting and barring scheme, to be broadcast on the flagship BBC current affairs programme Panorama in February 2010. This controversial scheme, set to be rolled out in the coming months and years, aims to prevent unsuitable adults from gaining access to children and vulnerable groups. More news
Tim’s book No Fear: Growing up in a risk averse society was published in 2007. His journalism has been widely published, and he has also been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Tim has carried out major projects for the Forestry Commission, Mayor of London, National Children’s Bureau and Play England, amongst other agencies, and has advised political parties and think tanks across the political spectrum. Tim is in demand as a public speaker and has given talks and run workshops across the UK and in mainland Europe, the USA, Australasia and Japan. He appears regularly in the media. Read more about Tim
Latest news
Tim to appear on Panorama
Tim is taking part in a debate on the Government's vetting and barring scheme, to be broadcast on the flagship BBC current affairs programme Panorama in February 2010. This controversial scheme, set to be rolled out in the coming months and years, aims to prevent unsuitable adults from gaining access to children and vulnerable groups. More news