Today, thousands of
children and young people from across the UK will be out playing, celebrating
Playday – the national day for play.
Hundreds of local
and regional play events are taking place to promote the importance of
children’s right to play.
Having plenty of
opportunities to explore and play outdoors is essential for children’s physical
and mental health, as well as their happiness, learning and development.
The Playday 2019
theme – Play Builds Children – highlights the many ways play is good for
children:
- Play Builds Friendships –
playing allows children to interact with others, develop relationships,
deal with conflict, and learn respect and tolerance.
- Play Builds Resilience –
playing boosts children’s confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills
and perseverance, enabling them to cope with stress and challenges
throughout life.
- Play Builds Health and
Well-being – being active through play helps children physically and
emotionally, contributing to their health and happiness.
- Play Builds Communities –
playing allows children to learn about the world around them, make
connections, and develop a sense of identity and belonging.
Local community
events, such as Playday celebrations, provide an ideal opportunity to bring
together children, families and the wider community. The biggest difference we
can all make in our communities is to improve the environment and conditions to
make it easier for children to access outdoor play opportunities.
PlayBoard Northern
Ireland CEO, Jacqueline O’Loughlin said: “Each year Playday offers a
wonderful opportunity to shine the spotlight on play and how vital access to a
diverse range of play opportunities is for all children. We know it’s essential
that children and young people get time to play every day and we’re delighted
that events will be taking place right across the UK on 7 August to highlight
the vast range of benefits children gain from playing.”
Chief Executive of
Play Scotland, Marguerite Hunter Blair said: “So much to celebrate in Scotland
this Playday. Children need a healthy balanced diet of play opportunities
and we are launching the Inclusive Parks Scotland report and interactive
map today to make it easier for all children to enjoy a wide range of play
experiences. We are also celebrating the commitment to Play Sufficiency
in the new Planning (Scotland) Act which will improve planning for play in
every community. We look forward to joining thousands of children, carers and
families celebrating Playday in parks, playgrounds and gardens across Scotland
for the best Playday ever!”
Play England’s Chair
of Trustees, Nicola Butler said: “All children are entitled to play every
day. In fact, it is essential. Playing is a fundamental and vital part of being
a child, as recognised in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This national Playday, Play England is calling for government leadership on
play, so that we can all gain the unique benefits of children playing more.”
Director of Play
Wales, Mike Greenaway said: “It’s great to see so many families out celebrating
children’s right to play. Playing is important to children and it makes a
significant positive impact on their health, wellbeing, development, and most
importantly their happiness. As a society we need to recognise and value that
every child has a right to play. We also need to continue to work together to
make our communities more play friendly to increase and improve outdoor play
opportunities for our children – on Playday and every day of the year.”
