Around the globe, children facing conflict, displacement and climate emergencies are healing and finding resilience and hope through play. Here's how Plan International is creating environments where children can recover, thrive and enjoy being young. Plan International creates safe spaces, supports schools and community programs, provides mobile libraries and play buses, and integrates play into education and child protection initiatives worldwide.
Why Play Matters for Children in Crisisā
A boy runs barefoot beside a rolling bike tire, guiding it with a stick in a game called āSticks and Wheels.ā A girl skips rope with a laundry line. Children tie string to rusted cans, dragging them behind like clattering parade floats. Another fashions a toy car from a plastic bottle, tugging it proudly across the dirt with a piece of twine. In the heat, they gather beneath mango trees to clap, chant and laugh through hand games. And when the rains come, they stomp and splash barefooted under the torrential downpour ā soaked, singing and smiling, completely unbothered.
This might sound idyllic; however for many children, safe places to play and the equipment to do so simply didnāt exist. There are no playgrounds.
Play isnāt a luxury. Itās a necessity. Itās how children recover from trauma, build resilience, develop critical skills and connect with the world around them. Itās how they stay kids, even when the world feels anything but safe.
This International Day of Play, weāre spotlighting the children and communities who remind us that play is never just play. From war zones to drought zones and from early childhood centers to football fields, hereās how Plan International is making space for joy ā through programs designed to protect childhood and promote learning, healing and equality.
Moldova: The Mobile Play Bus ā
The Ludobus ā short for āplay busā ā is a traveling toy library filled with educational games, books and puzzles. It visits villages and refugee centers across Moldova, creating joyful spaces for children and relief for mothers affected by the conflict in Ukraine. As children engage in play, mothers can rest or meet privately with psychologists to discuss their needs in a safe, supported environment.
Gaza: Reclaiming Joy During Conflict
In Deir al-Balah, Gaza, where thousands of displaced families have sought shelter, Plan and its local partners are creating moments of joy amid unimaginable hardship. Through an emergency relief project with the Abdel-Safi Community Health Association and Taawon, we support recreational activities for children affected by conflict. In these safe spaces, girls and boys dance, laugh and take part in interactive games designed to ease trauma and rebuild a sense of safety. These sessions do more than entertain ā they offer psychological support and a path to healing.
Lebanon: Playing Between the Lines of Conflict
In a dusty courtyard surrounded by barbed wire, children play as war unfolds just miles away. With more than 1 million children out of school due to conflict, Plan-supported play activities have become one of the few constants in their lives.
Peru: The Healing through Play After El NiƱo
After floods devastated her village, 9-year-old GĆ©nesis found solace at a āPlan of Joyā play session. āWhen we started playing, I didnāt think about the rain anymore,ā she says. Games helped her manage fear, build confidence and feel less alone.
Zimbabwe: A Playground Helps Keep Children in Schoolā
In drought-affected Tsholotsho, Kimberly, 11, finds joy in a rare safe space: the school playground built with support from Plan International. āAt home I only have my cat to play with,ā she says. āI love the playground ā itās a safe place for us to be children.ā As water becomes harder to find and more children drop out of school, Kimberly holds on to her dream: to stay in school and one day become a nurse.
Ethiopia: Learning Through Play in Crisis-Affected Communitiesā
In Benishangul-Gumuz, a region in northwestern Ethiopia affected by conflict and displacement, Planās PlayMatters project is helping children recover and grow. The program equips teachers and facilitators with tools to integrate learning through play into classrooms. Through guided, hands-on activities, children ages 3 to 12 in both refugee and host communities strengthen cognitive, emotional and creative skills ā building resilience in safe, inclusive spaces.
Benin: Girls Building Leadership Through Sports
Through the Impact-Elle project, Plan supports 16 girlsā football teams in Atacora, creating safe spaces where girls can play, lead and be seen. What begins on the field ripples out: the program challenges gender norms, fosters leadership and encourages parents to support their daughtersā participation ā helping change the story for the next generation.
Poland: Empowering Children With Disabilities through Playā
After fleeing Ukraine, Nataliia found support for her daughter Alesia, a child with special needs, through Plan-supported therapeutic play sessions. There, Alesia began to thrive again. For this family, play is more than fun ā itās foundational.
Brazil: Leading the Way Through Playā
Girls in Brazil are learning to lead through Planās Leadership School. It starts with teamwork and games, then grows into advocacy, public speaking and organizing. Itās play with purpose ā and the girls are ready.
Timor-Leste: Imagination on Wheels in Rural Communities
In the rural hills of Timor-Leste, a mobile library van rolls into view ā and children run to meet it. For many, itās their first chance to hold a book, hear a story or experience a structured learning activity. Plan supports this mobile library to bring storytelling, games and early learning tools to children in remote communities. These sessions nurture imagination and build the cognitive, emotional and social skills that children need to thrive. In places where access to quality education is limited, the joy of reading becomes a powerful form of play ā and a stepping stone to a brighter future.
Radical Joy: The Impact of Play for Communities in Crisis
Every story here is different, but the theme is the same. For children affected by conflict, displacement, disasters and poverty, safe opportunities to play can build resilience, empower kids, make communities safer and pave the way for brighter and more just figures. Thatās why Plan creates these spaces ā in classrooms, on dirt fields and even through mobile buses. Play is more than recreation; it is transformative and healing. Psychosocial support through play uses games, creative activities and structured recreation to help children process experiences, strengthen coping skills and improve well-being.
Across continents and crises, these moments of joy reveal something deeper: play is a lifeline. And a declaration that childhood matters, even in the hardest places. Play is an experience that should be universal for all children; regardless of their country of origin or circumstances in life. It strengthens relationships in the community, provides a sense of normalcy during crisis, and inspires.
This International Day of Play, join us in protecting and celebrating childhood.
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