Thank you to Nathan Zhang, summer student at the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, for providing this post.
On June 11, 2024, we will celebrate the first-ever International Day of Play! This will mark the beginning of an annual global awareness day adopted by the United Nations in collaboration with groups from around the world, aiming to raise awareness about the vital role that play has on children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Celebrate this amazing day by playing more! Check out the links below for additional resources from outdoor play organizations around the world.
- International Day of Play – The Official Website
- Check out some of the downloadable resources and spread the word on social media: https://www.internationaldayofplay.org/
- UN Signals Importance of Play by Adopting Official International Day of Play – LEGO
- LEGO in partnership with global partners led the charge in calling on the United Nations to adopt an International Day to promote, protect, and emphasize the importance of play on child development and well-being. LEGO will host various worldwide events promoting play as a child development and learning strategy, serving as an initiative for LEGO’s broader mission to support learning through play. https://www.lego.com/en-ca/aboutus/news/2024/march/international-day-of-play?locale=en-ca
- Top Tips for International Day of Play – Play Wales
- In celebration of the International Day of Play, Play Wales is calling on schools to protect playtime and has put together a top tips sheet for schools to support play for their students. https://play.wales/news_category/top-tips-for-international-day-of-play/
- Celebrating all Children’s Right to Play – Linc Programme
- The Leadership for Inclusion in Early Years (LINC) Programme is proud to announce its celebration of the first International Day of Play, and invites you to attend its free webinar on Tuesday, June 11th from 5-6 pm. This webinar will feature guest speakers Fiona Kirkland (Play Pedagogy Officer at Play Scotland), Professor Emer Ring (Dean of Early Childhood and Teacher Education at Mary Immaculate College), Dr. Lisha O’Sullivan (Head of Department of Reflective Pedagogy at Mary Immaculate College) and Shirley Heaney (National Co-ordinator of the LINC Programme). Together, they will discuss the various facets of play. https://lincprogramme.ie/celebrating-all-childrens-right-to-play/
- Using Play to Help the World’s Children to Heal, Learn and Thrive – PEDAL Hub
- PEDAL will host the annual David Whitebread Memorial Lecture on the world’s first-ever International Day of Play. It will feature a lecture by Dr. Erum Mariam – Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Education Development, as well as a panel discussion with global experts discussing how play can serve as a vital tool for child development in different settings around the world. https://www.pedalhub.net/news-events/events/item/using-play-to-help-the-worlds-children-to-heal-learn-and-thrive/
- International Day of Play Community Fund-Change X
- In celebration of the first International Day of Play, Change X invites communities to host playful events in their communities and to apply for funding for one of the four play-related events. https://www.changex.org/ca/fund/idop
- International Day of Play-Play Australia
- Check out this video celebrating the International Day of Play, showcasing various activities and the positive impact of play on children around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxAVGthhNCk
- Susciter et diversifier le jeu dans l’espace public- Centre d’écologie urbaine
- Metalude and the Centre d’écologie urbaine invite you to a virtual presentation and interactive workshop on the inaugural International Day of Play on their new tool that serves to support municipalities in evaluating and promoting public play spaces in their communities. https://www.ecologieurbaine.net/fr/evenements/detail/susciter-et-diversifier-le-jeu-dans-lespace-public/55007
Photo by Alex Guillaume on Unsplash