Children joyfully run hand-in-hand through a lush green field.
International Day of Play is a time to celebrate the power of play. A time to come together and make sure that every child is able to fulfil their right to play.
Photo:Kailash Kumar/Pixabay
 
Antonio Guterres

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
 

Play Makes A Better World

International Day of Play, 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, play 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, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding. In recognition of this, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has enshrined play as a fundamental right of every child under Article 31.

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.

2026 Theme: Protect Play, Protect Childhood

Throughout June, UNICEF will also be promoting expert tips and guidance for parents on everything from the science of play to fun activities for all the family. Recognizing that increasingly play happens online, the agency is equipping parents with guides and explainers on how to help keep their children’s online experiences safe and positive.

Find out the importance of the day, resources for families, calls on governments to fulfil every child’s right to play and events around the world on UNICEF’s website.

Kids play their parents' favourite childhood games: Tembo

For Rediet and her mother, playing tembo is more than just a game. It’s a connection to their culture. Her mother grew up playing it in Ethiopia and it always brings back memories of her childhood. She used to win every round as a child, but now Rediet is confident it’s her turn to win.

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.

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

Play isn’t just about fun — it’s about learning too. Through play, children learn to forge connections with others, build a wide range of leadership skills, develop resilience, navigate relationships and social challenges, and conquer their fears. Play helps children to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Learn more about play.

A woman and a girl, both smiling, sit together with a toy in front of them.

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.