First-ever International Day of Play
Play around the world in photos.
Play is how children learn to navigate the world. It helps them to build narratives, knowledge and social skills and contributes to their overall development, including physical health, cognitive development and emotional well-being.
Recognizing the importance of play for children’s development, The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out “the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities”. In March 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing 11 June as the International Day of Play to champion and protect this right.
Join us for this first-ever International Day of Play, as we call for this right to be fulfilled for every child.
India: Hira holds her 11-month-old daughter, Maina, outside their home in Kanthi, India.
Bolivia: Sandra helps her daughter Nathaly, 7, down a slide at a playground in La Paz, Bolivia.
"Sundays are for doing Nathaly's schoolwork, washing all the clothes that accumulate during the week and tidying up the house,” says Sandra. “But if we organize ourselves well, we go to the park to take a walk and have some fun.”
Ghana: Sisters Jayda (left), 9, and Venessa, 6, play in the surf with their mother, Lucy, while spending time at the beach in Accra, Ghana.
Sudan: In Sudan, 11-year-old Samar pretends to play a violin as her father, Nassir, sings along. Displaced from Khartoum, they are now staying in a classroom at a primary school in Kassala state.
Bangladesh: Ten-month-old Fahim and his parents play with toys in the courtyard of their home in Islamapur, Bangladesh.
Serbia: Gordana and her five-year-old son, Vuk, play with dandelions while planting vegetables in the garden of their home in Belgrade, Serbia.
Viet Nam: Three-year-old Bui Hoang The Bao gets ready to jump into his mother’s outstretched arms as they play at a park in a residential area on the outskirts of Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
Ecuador: Richard holds his two-year-old daughter, Aysel, as she swings on a pole outside their home in Turugucho, Ecuador.
Nigeria: Khadija, 32, plays with her daughter at their home in Miri, Nigeria.
Zambia: Lukas plays with his daughter beside their home in Kholowa, Zambia.
Yemen: Nabil plays with his son, Mohammed, in their apartment in Dhamar Governorate, Yemen.
Indonesia: Marce plays with her four-year-old son, Alvius, in their home in Tunua Village, Indonesia.
Ukraine: Liudmila and her husband swing their daughter, Veronika, while her twin brother, Tymur, walks beside them during a walk in a park in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Maldives: Seven-year-old Mariam and her four-year-old brother, Yusuf, play in the ocean in Milhandoo, Maldives, with their grandparents and four-year-old cousin, Arsan. Mariam and Yusuf come to the beach with their family at least three to four times a month to play, swim and fish.
Bangladesh: Mother and grandfather work together to keep a child amused while they wait to be seen for vaccination at the community clinic in Tahirpur, Bangladesh.
