World Play Day Message 2019
Freda Kim
Founder of WPD for ITLA
(This is my personal message to you for the 20th celebration of WPD)
I opened up my email this morning and the heading of the first mail was, “Never Too Old to Play in Dirt”. Good I thought, someone is writing to me about PLAY.
Imagine my surprise when I read the mail to find an advertisement for a T Shirt with those wonderful inspiring words printed on its front, “Never Too Old to Play in Dirt” This certainly underlines the increasing awareness of the value of Play and the growing number of places such as factories, business companies, schools, hospitals to name a few where play as a good and necessary thing is being promoted, not only for children, but for people in all walks of life and of all ages. I have, of course, ordered my T shirt, and I shall wear it for one of my special play activities which appropriately happens to be growing flowers outdoors in the dirt! Which brings me to the subject for this message that I was considering before I saw those words “Never Too Old to Play in Dirt”. And that is
ENERGISE YOUR LIFE; SPREAD THE GIFT OF PLAY
Play can take as many forms as there are people on this planet. But whatever you choose as Your Play or call it “MY PLAY” you will find it increases your energy, your enthusiasm for life or your strength/motivation to cope with the tasks awaiting you. You might even want to try a little exercise and write down “MY PLAY is …………” Then to complete the 2nd part of the title of this message you will need to explore the ways you can ‘Spread the Gift of Play” so that others can energise their lives. Ways to do this are too numerous to list but they can be as simple as playing ball with your one year old or taking your grandmother in the garden to enjoy your
flowers or building a Community Centre in your neighbourhood. Whatever you do, wherever you play, remember to spread this gift to those around you. Especially remembering to do this on May 28th 2019 which is the
World Play Day Message
Allow a child to play today. Watch a child play today. Play with a child today. We want our children to grow into well adjusted, well educated, useful and happy people; but how can we ensure that this happens. Think how much time you spend giving one hundred percent attention to a child everyday. How does each child make his first human relationships? How much hard exercise does he get every day? And then ask yourself how much time each child spends watching television, watching videos and playing with the computer, or even multi casting. Then ask another question how much time does each child spend in close contact with an adult who cuddles him, shows intense interest in what he is doing and talks with him? You will find without a doubt that every child spends more time with machines than with human beings. Yet it is human beings who can help him to make relationships, converse and be a happy person. We are living in an age of information overload. Information is no good to us if we do not know how to use and share it. If a child is unable to relate to and converse with other human beings, he will not be a useful, happy person. In other words, on-line experiences are no substitute for off-line experiences. If he has learned to communicate his ideas through the spoken word and to acknowledge his feelings in human relationships, he will have laid the ground work for quick learning through any media that is available to him.
One of the most important things about play is that it gets us in touch with other human beings. In order to give our children the opportunity for healthy development mentally, physically, emotionally and educationally, to give them the basis of a healthy, wholesome and happy life we must allow them to develop through the way that is most natural to them; and that is through PLAY. More importantly, play with other people and particularly within the family. The reason for promoting a WORLD PLAY DAY is to emphasize the importance of play in all our lives and particularly in the lives of our children. Children learn to talk though play, they learn to make friends through play, they get exercise through play; they also acquire the basic skills for formal education such as concentration, imagination, self-expression and the retention of useful facts. Let a child play today and ensure his happy, useful and healthy future.
Freda Kim, M.B.E., Ph.D.
World Play Day Founder
World Play Day Poster ALF
France has design a templete to share with everyone.
Please feel free to use them in your own environments with acknowledgements to ALF and the illustrator.
