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International Day of Play will serve as an annual reminder of the urgency to ensure and promote play across all ages.
Photo:Photo composited by DGC with images of FAO, MONUSCO, UNICEF Afghanistan, UN/Peter Dawkins, UNAMA and Adobe Stock

Play Makes A Better World

The first-ever International Day of Play, to be observed on 11 June 2024, marks a significant milestone in efforts to preserve, promote, and prioritize playing so that all people, especially children, can reap the rewards and thrive to their full potential.

Beyond mere recreation, it is a universal language spoken by people of all ages, transcending national, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries. This shared passion fosters a sense of community and national pride.

It also fosters resilience, creativity, and innovation in individuals. For children in particular, play helps build relationships and improves control, overcome trauma, and problem-solving. It helps children develop the cognitive, physical, creative, social, and emotional skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Restricting opportunities for play directly impedes a child's well-being and development. In educational settings, play-based learning has been recognized as an effective approach to engage students actively in the learning process. It helps make learning more enjoyable and relevant, thereby enhancing motivation and retention of information.

Moreover, play is considered to have a positive impact on promoting tolerance, resilience, and facilitating social inclusion, , and peacebuilding. In recognition of this, the has enshrined play as a fundamental right of every child under .

The international day creates a unifying moment at global, national, and local levels to elevate the importance of play. It signals a call for policies, training, and funding to get play integrated into education and community settings worldwide.

High-Level Event

Date: June 11, 2024 - 1:15 PM to 2:25 PM
Location: Trusteeship Council - UNHQ

The event aims to raise awareness about the critical role of play for human development through interactive activities and engaging discussions in order to develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of play and how play serves as a critical building block in the growth and learning process of individuals, particularly during childhood.

 

Why Is Play Important?

Children learn best through play. Play creates powerful learning opportunities across all areas of development – intellectual, social, emotional and physical. Through play, children learn to forge connections with others, build a wide range of leadership skills, develop resilience, navigate relationships and social challenges as well as conquer their fears. When children play, they feel safe. Children play to make sense of the world around them. More generally, play provides a platform for children to express and develop imagination and creativity, which are key skills critical for the technology-driven and innovative world we live in.

Playful interactions contribute to the well-being and positive mental health of parents, caregivers and children. When humanitarian crises turn a child’s world upside down, it is in play that children can both find safety and respite from adverse experience while also being able to explore and process their experiences with the world. When children are driven from their homes by war, conflict, and displacement, access to nurturing relationships with parents/caregivers and peers are critical buffers from the effects of violence, distress and other adverse experiences. Play comforts and soothes children.

To encourage playful interactions between parents/caregivers and children, governments and other stakeholders need to create an enabling environment.

The Power of Play: The Dancer

Play. Recommended for every child, and their parents. Play is not another thing to do, it's another way of doing things. From cognitive ability to communication skills, improved mental health and emotional resilience – play gives children the foundations that they need to survive and thrive, and to build a better future.

Catherine Russell

Play is a sign that children feel safe and nurtured and loved. They feel somewhat that they can be children even in the midst of great difficulty.

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell

Did You Know?

  • 71% of children say play is important because it makes them happy, and 58% say that it helps them make friends and have a good time with others.
  • It is estimated that 160 million children around the world are working instead of playing or learning.
  • Only 1 in 4 children play out regularly on their street compared their grandparents generation where almost three-quarters said they played outside a few times a week.
  • 41% of children had been told to stop playing out by either their parents or other adults such as neighbours.

Key Documents

Related Websites

Publications

Related Observances

More observances

The (2021-2030) is an opportunity to bring together governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, the media, and the private sector for ten years of concerted, catalytic and collaborative action to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.

On the surface, play may seem like it’s all about having fun, but it’s far more than that for babies and toddlers. It’s about learning and building important life skills – from problem solving to expressing ideas – and strengthening the bond between you both.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.