Today (11 June, Tuesday) is the International Day of Play. For the first time ever, this day is being celebrated worldwide with the aim of highlighting the importance of play in children’s lives, enhancing educational opportunities, and fostering their development. The emphasis of this celebration is on providing children with the opportunity to play for sheer enjoyment, rather than organising formal, institutional, or competitive events.
On 25 March, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a proposal to declare a new day with the agreement of over 140 countries. It was declared that 11th June would be celebrated annually as ‘International Day of Play’ (IDOP), and this year marks its first celebration. To observe the day, the IDOP alliance, comprising several organisations, is being coordinated by The LEGO Foundation. As part of this alliance from Bangladesh, BRAC has also taken the lead in observing this day under the slogan “Play is Good.”
IDOP’s “The Power of Play” report states that one in three children worldwide does not get enough time to play and one in five children does not have a safe place to play. Among children with disabilities, one in three does not have a playmate. The survey was conducted based on the opinions of over 10,000 children globally. According to UNICEF, many children around the world still consider having some leisure time for play as a matter of luck. Currently, approximately 160 million children worldwide are forced to work for their livelihoods instead of engaging in play or receiving an education.
Executive Director of BRAC, Asif Saleh, said, “Playing is a fundamental right for every child. Yet we often forget the role of play in developing children’s lifelong skills. A significant number of adults are unaware that the United Nations declared play as a fundamental right of children in 1989.”
Dr. Erum Mariam, Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BIED), BRAC University, said, “Play is a universal language spoken by people of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions, and cultures, though its expression may vary from context to context. The decline in opportunities to play is having a detrimental impact on children’s growth and development. It is crucial to formulate policies and provide funding to integrate play across educational and community settings.’
In celebration of the International Day of Play, various activities for children have been organised throughout the day at the BRAC Centre in Mohakhali.