Rediscovering Play: Marking the Very First International Day of Play

Written by Guest Blogger, Alex Smith, Founder PlayGroundology, opens a new window and Board Member, International Play Association - Canada

Cause for Celebration

Save the date for a new celebration: June 11th will now be known as the International Day of Play!, opens a new window This designation by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recognizes the universality of play in the human experience. It acknowledges play’s demonstrable impact on the physical, mental, and social well-being of society's youngest members and shines a light on children’s right to play.

International foundations, NGOs and the private sector were at the forefront of the campaign, opens a new window that led to this annual observance. The perspectives and insights of children, opens a new window from the Global South and North were instrumental in informing and developing a successful strategy. People around the world, including here in Nova Scotia, can build on this UN commemoration to increase awareness of and advocate for play in their own communities.

Play Every Day

The International Day of Play will help to amplify children’s right to play, which is enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, opens a new window (CRC). Canada adopted the CRC, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, in 1991. United Nations General Comment No.17 further elaborates on the right to play as summarized here, opens a new window by the International Play Association (IPA).

While play is an exhilarating all-ages phenomenon there can be no doubt that children are its most enthusiastic devotees and its greatest beneficiaries. Play is a state of being foundational for young people’s understanding of the world around them, for their learning and development, and, of course, for FUN and GAMES. It's a conduit for powerful experiences of discovery, adventure and friendship. Social play helps to develop emotional intelligence and empathy, key to forming good relationships with others, an experience which can be vital later in life.

Headwinds

However, there are headwinds, as described in a variety of studies published in recent years. ParticipACTION reports document that a majority of Canadian children are falling below recommended physical activity levels. A study by the National Trust in the United Kingdom found that children are playing outside about 1/2 as much as their parents - 4 hours per week – and significantly less again than their grandparents Then there’s the measure of independent mobility – children getting around by themselves in their communities. Generation over generation, the reduction in mobility is astounding. In extreme cases, children growing up today are not allowed off their blocks or even beyond their residences.

As adults, we have a responsibility, a duty, to reclaim and extend the moments of joy and discovery that play affords, to provide safe and accessible spaces for play, to invest children with trust, and encourage agency of the ‘we want to be the bosses of our own to encourage selves’ variety. These actions are fundamental in creating the winning conditions for play to grow and flourish.

Municipal elected officials and public servants have a big role here, too. When making decisions on public play spaces for children, they must consider land use planning, budgets, tendering for design and build, inclusiveness, staffing, maintenance and safety as well as public engagement. There are other deeper considerations they also have to weigh that can directly impact how children experience their neighbourhoods and their city. Traffic management and control, public transit, pedestrian and bike safety, zoning, civic participation, and easy access to green spaces are a few examples. It is solutions and support for issues of this nature that can truly elevate cities to the status of child-friendly, opens a new window.

Halifax Public Libraries

For child-friendly environments in locations across HRM, look no further than Halifax Public Libraries. They offer space to play, new experiences to discover, opens a new window, and a welcoming atmosphere to meet other children. In the midst of it all, there are toys and games for exploration and amusement. In fact, some library locations, such as Dartmouth North, have access to outdoor play areas, too.

On the collections side, the staff-created list, The Power of Play, opens a new window, recommends 29 items, including books on loose parts and forest schools. Another book aligned with staff picks is The Adventurous Book of Outdoor Games, opens a new window – featuring over 100 games to get children outside, physically active and having fun. Halifax Public Libraries know the value of play, as they capture in these excerpts, opens a new window from the 2022-23 Annual Report.

On this new UN International Day, just play…

just play

play play
whether it’s alone or with friends
within four walls or under a great canvas of sky
just play

there are not enough hours
in a heartful life
to miss kaleidoscoping fun

play play
without a goal in mind
get lost in the changing beat
in laughter’s rolling sound
just play

play with mud, sand, sea
blocks and balls
sticks and trees

play
in whistling rain
snowy squalls
summer’s shine
just play

with pots and pans
clangs and bangs
symphonies of loud

get drunk with play
surrender to its giddy reel
be small, untouched
and see

that play is all
and all is play
a jazzy breath of be