Dear Editor,
Play is disappearing from children’s lives at an alarming rate. In the UK, research shows that children are experiencing less free play – and time spent playing outdoors has halved in a generation.
Opportunities to play are even more limited in many other parts of the world. According to the latest figures, almost 1 in 5 children globally live in an area affected by conflict, around 273 million children are out of school and nearly 138 million are engaged in child labour.
This squeeze on childhood will have damaging long-term consequences.
That’s why on International Day of Play (11 June), Right To Play is calling for international action to protect play for children and ensure that no childhood is cut short.
The benefits of play are indisputable. It is proven to be critical to children’s learning, development and well-being. More than anything, play makes childhood joyful.
In our global programmes, the power of play is transforming the lives of more than 4.7 million children every year, helping them to stay in school, heal from trauma and develop the critical life skills they need to thrive.
Find out more about the vital importance of play, and how you can help champion this basic right for every child, by visiting righttoplay.org.uk.
Gillian McMahon
Executive Director, Right To Play UK
