Doing Age and Aged Doings in 10–12-Year-Olds' Descriptions of Their Leisure Opportunities

Abstract

The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge about how children aged 10 to 12 describe their leisure time, and how their accounts of what they do, what they want to do, and what they perceive as available to them can be understood in relation to age as a social category. Drawing on qualitative interviews with children aged 10 to 12 who attend open leisure programmes, and guided by a ‘doing age’ framework, this study approaches age as a socially constructed and negotiated concept shaped through everyday practices. The analysis reveals that children position themselves as being at an ‘in-between’ stage, neither ‘little kids’ nor teenagers, and use leisure spaces to define what is appropriate for ‘kids their age’. Two key processes underpin this construction. Firstly, the children navigate a balance between dependence and independence, not by rejecting care, but by embracing responsibility and making informed choices. Secondly, they express a desire for progression, seeking more advanced or age-appropriate activities. Together, these processes reflect their efforts to be recognised as capable and maturing individuals. Children also describe leisure spaces as age-coded, distinguishing between environments perceived as ‘for kids’ and those offering more autonomy or challenge. Their connections to these spaces are shaped by how well they align with their self-perceived age. Their experiences highlight a form of interdependence, where autonomy, trust, and care are continuously negotiated in both material and relational contexts.