It's Almost International Day of Play: Here's How to Show Up for It

Next Thursday, 11 June, is International Day of Play (IDOP). Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024, it takes place every year on 11 June to champion every child’s right to play.

This year’s theme? Protect play, protect childhood. A reminder for all of us — governments, businesses, schools, and families — that happy and healthy childhoods are built on play.

For those of us who work in play therapy, play-based education, or child development, this theme is deeply personal. We’ve spent careers making the case that play isn’t optional. That it isn’t a reward, or a break, but is essential to our humanity and wellbeing. In childhood, play builds creativity, resilience, and social skills, laying the groundwork for lifelong well-being and social connection. We know this. Now with the proclamation of the IDOP, the world is catching up.

So how do we mark a day like this?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because I believe we can’t just write or even solely speak about play. We all have to play.

Here’s my plan for IDOP 2026:

I’d love to hear what you have planned. Tell me in the comments, or tag me into your fun on the day.

This year’s UN High-Level Event will bring together children, Member States, UN agencies, and civil society partners to highlight leadership, showcase commitments, and advance action to protect and promote play worldwide. There will be child-led segments and the launch of a global data report on play. The focus is on safe and healthy play spaces, alongside accelerators like playful parenting and learning through play.

You can watch it live via UN Web TV on 11 June: click here to watch.

This is genuinely significant. The UN is putting its weight behind play. And for those of us who have been advocating for play in clinical settings, in schools, in the NDIS, in health budgets: this is the moment to make noise alongside that momentum.

Whether you’re a practitioner, an educator, a parent, or simply someone who cares about children’s wellbeing, here are some places to start:

International Play Association (IPA) IPA is the global advocate for children’s right to play under Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the organisation behind much of the advocacy that led to IDOP existing at all. Their website has resources, research, and ways to get involved: ipaworld.org

Play Australia Play Australia is the Australian secretariat for IPA World, and they’ve been building resources specifically for 11 June. They’re the place to look for what’s happening locally and how Australian communities are marking the day: playaustralia.org.au

The National Institute for Play (NIFPlay) Founded by Dr. Stuart Brown and now led by his granddaughter Mia Sundstrom, NIFPlay has a small but mighty interdisciplinary team of dedicated play experts. The Institute is a global thought leader in the science of play, curating and interpreting research that reveals how play fundamentally shapes brain development, learning, and human potential. Their newly relaunched website includes new resources, a play journal, and more: nifplay.org

One thing I particularly love about NIFPlay’s approach is their play styles framework. Dr Stuart Brown has spent 40+ years gathering data from 5000+ play histories to inform individual play profiling. This framework has been recently updated from 8 play styles to 6 (with new nuanced subtypes). If you haven’t explored your own play style, IDOP is the perfect moment to ignite your play spark.

The UN IDOP Page For the official observance, resources, and information about this year’s global events, go directly to the UN: un.org/en/observances/international-day-play

You don’t need a big event or a formal program to mark IDOP. Here are some ideas, small and large:

For practitioners and educators:

• Share something about play on your socials on 11 June — even one fact, one image, one reflection

• Spend a supervision session, peer conversation or work group discussion reflecting on the role of your own playfulness in your work

• Create a small play provocation in your space: a sand tray left out, a craft material, something open-ended

• Send families or clients a simple note about IDOP and what play means for wellbeing

For parents and caregivers:

• Say yes to something messy or a little silly that you’d normally redirect

• Join with a child in play rather than watching — get on the floor, in the sandpit, on the swings

• Let yourself have fun and laugh. Children need to see adults playing too.

For everyone:

• Find your own version of the car karaoke

• Notice what you do for the sheer joy of it, and do more of that

• Notice what makes you lose all sense of time, and do more of that

• Notice what makes you smile and laugh, and do more of that

• Share the IDOP message with someone who needs a reminder that play isn’t a luxury

I’ve spent a lot of this year in rooms (and in drafting parliamentary submissions) arguing that play is essential infrastructure for children’s development. That when we defund or de-prioritise it, we pay a much larger cost later. That play therapy, play-based learning, play-based healthcare, and children’s freedom to play aren’t extras — they’re foundations.

IDOP is one day. But what it represents is an ongoing shift in how the world understands play. And that shift needs people like you, in every industry, to keep making the case.

So on 11 June: Show up. Play. Share. Advocate.

And maybe put on a playlist and have a dance in the kitchen. I’ll be doing the same.

Dr Kate Renshaw (PhD, RPT-S™) is a play therapist, researcher, educator, author, and advocate with over 20 years of experience working therapeutically with children and families. She is the developer of the TORA and the Multi-Tier Play Therapy (MTPT) framework, and is the founding director of Play & Filial Therapy. Her work spans clinical practice, doctoral research, sole-authored practitioner guidebooks, parliamentary advocacy, and international conference presentations. She is based in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

🌐 drplay.com.au

💼 linkedin.com/in/drkaterenshaw