By Pia Britto, Frank van Cappelle, William Doyle & Pasi Sahlberg
This June 11th is the International Day of Play, and an excellent opportunity to celebrate one of the most valuable gifts we can give the world’s children– play, in all its forms.
Play is not a luxury – it is a fundamental right of every child.
Play is not optional – it is the essence of human development skills.
Play is not just a pastime—it is the learning language and the emotional and biological imperative of children.
The evidence on child development is clear: when children are encouraged to play in school and at home, indoors and in nature, their learning, health and well-being improves, and even their future. Play cultivates the cognitive and social skills that children need to thrive as adults, from executive functioning and problem solving to collaboration, imagination, and innovation.
There is a host of play experiences that children need in their daily lives, including active, unstructured school recess and outdoor play, free play at school and at home, play that is guided and scaffolded by adults, and playful learning interactions with teachers, parents and other children.
Physical play and movement such as outdoor recess delivers striking advantages to young people. According to the World Health Organization, the benefits of physical activity for children and adolescents include improved physical fitness, better cognitive outcomes like academic performance and executive function, and improved mental health and reduced symptoms of depression.
Alarmingly, play is fast disappearing from the lives of many young people. In some countries, play has almost disappeared from schools. Despite its demonstrated benefits, play is increasingly de-prioritized in global educational policy and decision-making. Some children don’t even know how to play anymore, having lost the skill through lack of practice. Teachers report that when asked to play, some children are unsure what to do.
This loss of “play literacy” diminishes children’s opportunities to develop imagination, creativity, resilience and thriving mental and physical health that play nurtures. For children who have suffered from play deprivation for much of their lives, we need to “teach them how to play”—by giving them the time, space, materials and encouragement needed for play.
We are witnessing shifts in childhood experiences towards a digital world, and as a result, shifts in the nature of play. Screens are emerging as a significant part of how many children spend their time—often replacing, rather than complementing, physical and social forms of play. These days, the idea of “play” can conjure up images of children and young people absorbed in games on screen-based devices, but not all digital play is equal. Digital play can also be solo or collaborative, and while some games can develop skills such as creativity, teamwork and strategic thinking, they can also be isolating and addictive and have negative impacts such as on socio-emotional well-being.
At the heart of UNICEF’s Tinkering with Tech initiative is the concept of using digital technology to promote playful and collaborative learning to unlock a wide range of educational benefits. Designed around hands-on, project-based activities, the initiative encourages students and teachers to explore AI, robotics and coding in collaborative ways. Working in small groups on shared devices, students discuss, experiment, take turns, iterate and build together—mirroring the social nature of traditional play. The technology is therefore not the focus, but rather an enabler of structured play to strengthen children’s curiosity, digital fluency and problem-solving skills.
UNICEF supports a balanced approach to digital play and learning, prioritizing digital well-being, online safety, data protection, and ethical engagement, while supporting children to develop the skills they need to navigate the digital world safely, critically and confidently. Digital tools should enhance—not replace— human connection, play, and social interaction, all of which are essential for children’s development. And across all ages, but especially in the early years, digital approaches should not displace children’s essential non-digital activities such as unstructured, human-centred play, physical activity and foundational skills like writing with pen and paper.
The digital world offers children a wealth of opportunities for fun, adventure, discovery and learning, and there are lessons from digital learning and digital play that can be applied to the physical world. In digital environments, playfulness is seen as a benefit, and “gamification” is celebrated for its engagement and motivational power— and that spirit of joy, fun and discovery can be extended to physical classrooms and school spaces across all subject domains and ages, without sacrificing academic rigor.
To reclaim the benefits of play for every child, new thinking and urgent action is needed. In this spirit, UNICEF is calling on governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to:
- Scale up services, including parenting programmes, that prioritize play as a foundation of childhood and of learning.
- Support and empower teachers to embrace play not just as a method but a mindset for teaching and learning through training, allocation of time, and the trust to make play part of every classroom.
- Enable learning through play for every infant, toddler and 3-6 year-old, and regular physical activity for every child and adolescent, from preschool to secondary school.
- Ensure that play areas for children – whether in physical or digital spaces – are safe, inclusive and well-maintained.
As the theme of this year’s International Day of Play recommends: “Choose play – every day”!
Published on June 11th 2025 by UNICEF. Pia Britto is the Global Director of Education, UNICEF; Frank van Cappelle is the Global Lead for Digital Education, UNICEF; William Doyle is my author of ‘Let the Children Play’.