11th June: International Day of Play

On the 11th of June we celebrate the International Day of Play. A year ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the 11th of June as the International Day of Play, so today is the second time we are celebrating the International Day of Play.

Today is a day to celebrate the power of play. A time to raise awareness about how essential play is to every child’s development and well-being. This special day is dedicated to celebrating the importance of play in children’s lives, a time to ensure that every child can fulfil their right to play. It highlights the vital role play has in fostering creativity, imagination, social skills, and physical development, emphasizing how essential it is for a child’s overall growth and well-being.

Why Play?

When a child is at play, they are not ‘just playing’.

• Play fosters resilience, creativity, problem solving and innovation
• Play builds relationships
• Play helps children develop the cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills needed in a rapidly changing world.
• Children learn best through play. Play-based learning is an effective approach for actively engaging students in the learning process.

Limiting opportunities for play adversely affects a child’s well-being and development. Prioritising direct instruction over play at a very young age may also have adverse effects on children’s development.

The 2025 Theme is Choose Play- Every Day, a reminder to governments, businesses, schools and families to embrace and prioritise play for children. The University of Limassol aims to promote research on the importance of play for learning and development. Play is not just fun. It is fundamental to your child’s development!

Dr Antonia Zachariou, Assistant Professor of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) at the University of Limassol.

She has done extensive research on play, learning and development. Dr Zachariou is the co-founder and coordinator of the Special Interest Group 28- Play, Learning and Development of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI).