Play is the foundation of learning, creativity, self-expression, and constructive problem-solving. It’s how children wrestle with life to make it meaningful.
– Susan Linn

June 11, designated the 2025 International Day of Play by the United Nations, 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.

2025 Theme: Choose Play – Every Day

“The Child’s Right to Play” is the title of a white paper  released by the USA Affiliate of the International Play Association, in commemoration of its 50th Anniversary, containing articles by 59 esteemed authors.

One of those articles, by Heather Bernt-Santy, describes what happens when academic pushdown threatens play:

“When independent choice and free play are removed from children’s lives, their mental health is at risk. In academic-focused early childhood settings, effective teaching is measured by whether all children reach the same standards in the same time frame. The individual child disappears or is only seen as a measurement of success or failure.

“Attempts to standardize children, therefore, disrupt healthy, positive relationships (a key factor for mental health and resilience) between adults and children. These disrupted or prevented relationships impact children’s psychological well-being as the focus on standardizing over individual needs and interests impairs identity development.”

Mark your calendars now for an important Engaging Exchange Online Conference, “Protecting Play,” with 15 respected presenters, December 5, 2025, 11-3 Central US time. Watch for registration information soon.