Find joy in play – Play Day to be celebrated on Saturday 26 April

Play Day will be celebrated with dozens of free Play Day events across Finland, both on Play Day and during the preceding Play Week. Events will be organised by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare’s (MLL) local associations, libraries, museums and parishes, among others.

Children have a right to play

The aim of Play Day is to remind people of the joy and well-being that play brings about. Play is important for the development of a child. It’s also a way to relax and recover from the busy everyday life. A child's right to play is also enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Play in itself is important. It's about having fun together and getting into the spirit of it. It’s good for children and adults alike. Playing doesn't have to accomplish anything, and it doesn't have to be useful.

- These dark times we live in are always someone's childhood. Play is a way to strengthen children's and youths’ faith in the future. A shared moment of play helps them focus on everyday life and forget their worries," explains Karolina Lamroth, Play Day Programme Coordinator at the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare.

Play strengthens a sense of community

Play is leisurely and fun, a way to come together without the pressure to perform. Shared moments of play between children and adults bring much-needed respite to everyday life. Play promotes a sense of community, which in turn strengthens social sustainability and reinforces society as a whole.

- In public discourse, children and youth are often viewed through a negative lens, but research shows that childhood encompasses a tremendous amount of joy that comes from things like play, pets and nature. These are reflected in children's peer relationships, family life and leisure time as well as early childhood education and school," says Elina Weckström from the Finnish Society for Childhood Studies. The society is one of the members of the Play Day Network.

All Play Day events can be found here

Play Day is organised by the Play Day Network, coordinated by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare. The network consists of nearly 60 organisations that cherish play. Play Day invites adults and children alike to spend time together in unhurried play every single day of the year. The Play Day programme promotes play in various ways and encourages people to get into the spirit of it. For more information and inspiration: leikkipäivä.fi, leikkipankki.fi

More talk on play and joy on 12 September at the Play Day & Finnish Society for Childhood Studies’ joint Scholar's Morning Coffee, which will be held remotely.

For more information:  

Karolina Lamroth, Play Day Programme Coordinator, Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, karolina.lamroth@mll.fi, tel. 050 4635 615