PDPlay’s National Day For Children
Back in 2009, PDPlay established a national day for children to get outdoors and take their parents to their workplace–the playground! Falling annually on the weekend prior to Easter on Saturday, Take Your Parents to the Playground Day coincides with the Children & Nature Awareness Month, an event established by the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) to call attention to the importance of providing opportunities for all children to experience frequent, regular play in natural outdoor settings.
Take Your Parents to the Playground Day was conceptualized by PDPlay president John Ogden, who believes that “the future of play is rooted in the past. We created this day for outdoor play to motivate children and their parents to get outside for some old fashioned fun at the local playground, the park or even in their backyard.” This year, we invite you to celebrate Take Your Parents to the Playground Day on April 12th!
PDPlay’s national day of play falls in line with the United Nations’ recently adopted Article 31, which cites a growing body of evidence that reveals frequent outdoor play is critical to the development of children in every major way — intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically. The International Play Association has outlined the Article in the video below, revealing the profound affect of play on a child’s development:
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With Article 31, the United Nations aims to save the play, and we do too! So this Saturday, it’s time for children and parents to turn off the TV, step away from the computer, and rediscover unstructured play and the outdoors. Let’s celebrate Take Your Parents to the Playground Day!