On the occasion of World Play Day (May 28), a letter from DCM friend Martha Llanos, World Forum Foundation, Peru Representative; Peace Ambassadors; Smart Values PERU
International Day of Play: History and Messages
The process of play is a powerful, multifaceted learning experience. Play is central to children's learning, and recently has been strongly identified with adults' achievement and creativity. Play involves exploration, language experimentation, cognition, and the development of social skills. Play is a universal interdisciplinary process.
According to UNESCO, "the encouragement of creativity from an early age is one of the best guarantees of growth in a healthy environment of self-esteem and mutual respect--critical ingredients for building a culture of peace. We humans have not yet achieved our full creative potential, however, primarily because every child's creativity is not properly nurtured." The critical role of imagination, discovery, and creativity in a child's education is only beginning to come to light, and even within the educational community, many still do not appreciate or realize its vital importance.
Howard Gardner in his proposal of multiple intelligences, including linguistic, musical, logical mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, personal, and social intelligences (Gardner, l983), proposes that each intelligence is expressed through active brain structures, in which play has a very crucial importance. According to Gardner's widely accepted theory, play is an optimal experience to encourage all seven identified intelligences.
Children learn new vocabulary and communication skills. They learn music, chanting, clapping, and making rhythmic exercises. They learn logical mathematics when they play with blocks, building constructions. Visual spatial skills are learned through art activities, visual matching, and making visual signs. Bodily-kinaesthetic learning is promoted through climbing, running, and playing sports. Personal and social intelligence happens through play as children become aware of their feelings, thoughts, and emotions, try social roles, and use language for negotiation and problem solving.
Play, with its contribution to adaptation, healing, resilience, risk-management, and social wellbeing, deals with emotional literacy and learning issues. If deprivation from play occurs, possibilities for expression, enjoyment, creativity, and happiness are limited. But when the reverse occurs we see the importance of play in overcoming difficulties in stressful environments and conflict, including war situations, trauma, and others.
In emergency situations, child survival has typically been the main focus of responses. We must be reminded that at the same time a child is struggling to survive, she is also struggling to develop. Therefore, we need to take a more comprehensive and integrated approach to the needs of young children during emergencies. We have to expand our emergency response to include tools that will meet the psychosocial needs of children--to reduce stress and anxiety, develop secure bonds with caring adults, build self-esteem and confidence, and provide positive stimulation and learning opportunities.
International Day of Play
The creator of WORLD PLAY DAY is Dr. Freda Kim, a devoted British teacher and life-long advocator for children's toys and play. On 28th May 1987 in Toronto the committee of the International Toy Library Conference decided to form The International Toy Library Association (ITLA). After the ITLA General Assembly in Japan in 1999 agreed to having a WORLD PLAY DAY the actual date was set at a Board Meeting in 2001 in Florence as 28th May to commemorate the decision to form ITLA. It can therefore be said to be the birthday of the International Toy library Association. (Personal Communication with Freda Kim)
I first met Freda in 2007 in Malaysia just after the World Forum in Kuala Lumpur. The ITLA was having its yearly meeting and was invited to share the celebration. It was such a joy to meet Freda Kim. In 2009 when I was visiting Seoul she took me to visit Toy Libraries in the city. The toy libraries were in many different settings, but I was most impressed with the ones established near or within the metro station where parents can take home toys and suggestions on how to make them, along with information about the value of the games, in order to stimulate certain development areas in the child.
According to Dr. Freda Kim, WORLD PLAY DAY should be a day of total attention to one another, from generation to generation, a day when children and adults do what they want to do, a day that is relaxed and emphasizes human interaction. We play in our own place, home, school, or work place. Freda Kim explains: "Perhaps I am describing an attitude rather than an activity." A day that is FUN shows adults and children in interactive situations promoting the healthy growth of one another in simple, self-motivated activities of their own choice. If everyone in the world can do this on the same day each year we will all be part of a WORLD PLAY DAY.
In our conversations Dr. Kim emphasized how important it is to ask ourselves and the community of adults dealing with children: "How much time does each child spend in close contact with an adult who shows affection, shows intense interest in what he/she is doing, and talks with him/her?"
Currently research shows that a child spends more time watching TV or playing with machines than with human beings. We are living in an age of "information overload." Information is meaningful when we know how to use and share it. If a child is unable to relate to other children or adults, difficulties could arise. Basically, "on-line" experiences are no substitute for "off-line" experiences. If children communicate their ideas through language and play, expressing dreams and feelings in human relationships, they will be building solid foundations in human development.
In her 2011 WORLD PLAY DAY message, Dr. Kim indicates: "This year I want to stress how important play is for all the children who have experienced trauma around the world as a result of the many very tragic natural disasters and the man-made wars which continue without end. It would be easy to put aside the simple activities of small children while dealing with the very pressing and immediate situations of food, housing, and economics. However, while adults have understanding of these disasters and are able to verbalize, children need to act out the tragedy and deal with the trauma in their lives through play. It is fortunate that children can play without tools (or toys). Play can be alone, or with anyone who is around, child or adult."
While you are celebrating in your centers, schools, hospitals, homes, workplaces, or wherever you happen to be, please spare a thought for traumatized children all over the world who must be encouraged and allowed to play even in their devastating conditions. By allowing children to play you are helping them to a healthy adulthood.
All members of the World Play group from the World Forum will be sharing some actions in tribute of the WORLD PLAY DAY.
