The first-ever International Day of Play, to be 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, it 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.
CFMWS Community Recreation is proud to offer military families opportunities to play. Our services are tailored to help families with the challenges they may face due to military life and make the most of everyday activities such as going to the playground or day camp. We believe that when members of the Canadian Armed Forces are able to take good care of themselves and their families, they can do better both at home and at work. Whether families need to sign the kids up for swimming lessons, improve their fitness, make friends in a new community, our services are here to help.
Visit https://cfmws.ca/sport-fitness-rec/recreation-programs to learn how you can find opportunities to play in your community, or visit https://www.facebook.com/PSP.CFMWS.SBMFC/ on June 11th to participate on our contest celebrating play.
