The smile says it all!😊 Happy United Nations ‘International Day of Play’ from my family to yours!
It’s no coincidence that I’ve written a children’s picture book called, ‘Time to Go to the Park’ (illustrated so beautifully by Leila Rudge; published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2026), which champions young children’s access to, and enjoyment of, outdoor play in those wonderful ‘third spaces’ in our communities = Parks!
My love of parks knows no end! They were my lifeline as a young parent raising two small children in central London – often visited twice daily on some days. And no matter where we travelled in the world, we always knew that there would be a local park to find – and that it would be free, accessible, welcoming and fun to play in.
Before I was a children’s author, I was an Occupational Therapist, where ‘play’ is scientifically studied and acknowledged as the fundamental way that a child participates in the world. Play is how children thrive and fulfill their potential in physical, social, emotional, sensory and cognitive development.
Put simply, ‘play’ is the absolute right of the child, and should be enabled at all costs by the adults who rule their world. This year’s United Nations theme for International Day of Play is: Protect Play; Protect Childhood.
Outdoor play in a park contributes to a child’s happiness, well-being and general development, while aiding socialization, sleep and appetite (through energy expenditure), and daily routines. ALL of these activities help the young child’s brain wiring and neuromuscular development, and are essential to experience BEFORE they even start to learn to read and write at school. (And active outdoor play should not end when they start school, either!)
Unfortunately, for many hundreds of millions of children, play is denied to them by poverty and conflict.
The modern world is fast, time is precious, and outdoor childhood play is often undervalued and denied in favour of sedentary indoor activities. The evidence is unequivocal, that this generation of young children spends less time outdoors in free play than those before them – resulting in significant declines in basic neuromotor skills.
The tide clearly needs to turn. So, adults, if you have little humans in your life, it’s time to go to the park! And what better day than today, International Day of Play! Our next generation’s developing brains and bodies literally depend on it.
And, when it’s time to wind down at the end of your busy day and snuggle up to read a book with your little one, I hope you might choose ours!
In the words of esteemed Teacher Librarian, Barbara Braxton, from her recent review of ‘Time to Go to the Park’ (The Bottom Shelf, 30th May 2026), “So perhaps this charming book will be a reminder to teachers and parents alike to recharge with a day in the Park.”
NOTE: It was only very recently, in 2024, that the United Nations General Assembly inaugurated the 11th of June as the ‘International Day of Play’. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has also enshrined ‘play’ as a fundamental right of every child under Article 31.
PHOTO: Miss D (now a young adult) kindly gave me permission to share this memory of the many hours she spent upside down in her childhood. She’s now progressed to aerial yoga!
Emma Bowd 