More Than Just Fun: The Profound Impact of Play and VOCEL's Dedication to Children's Rights
Pictured above: VOCEL Parent Leaders lead free, weekly play classes for young children and their parents and caregivers in locations throughout Chicago.
Close your eyes for a moment and recall the pure joy of childhood play – building forts, chasing friends, creating imaginary worlds. This isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s a demonstration of a universal truth play is the inherent language of childhood. It’s where imagination and innovation abound, friendships are forged, and the very foundations of all future learning is laid.
Today, as we recognize the International Day of Play, we celebrate a global movement that champions this truth. Endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly and spearheaded by organizations like the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation, this day sends a clear message: play is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental human right — critical for a child’s healthy development, well-being, and future success, deserving of universal protection and promotion.
At VOCEL, the science of play is a cornerstone of the way we approach learning, for kids – and for adults! The International Day of Play reaffirms our steadfast commitment to ensuring every child has access to the transformative power of play.
And here at VOCEL, we don’t only advocate for the right to play; we actively invest in it, by partnering with parents, caregivers, teachers, and school leaders, so that brain-building play is a living, breathing part of every child’s experience, at home and at school.
Members of VOCEL’s community have likely heard us refer to play as a superfood for children’s development. Unlike worksheets or flashcards which focus on one discrete skill at a time, play benefits kids in so many ways in just a single sitting.
Cognitive Development: Play is a powerhouse for the brain. Building with blocks, solving puzzles, or engaging in imaginative scenarios develops critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and memory. As VOCEL’s executive director, Jesse Ilhardt explains in her TEDx Talk, How Play Helps A Kid's Brain Grow, "serve and return" interactions during play are fundamental. When a child initiates play, and an adult responds with engagement, it builds essential neural connections in the prefrontal cortex, vital for executive functions like planning, persistence, and problem-solving.
Social-Emotional Development: Through play, children learn empathy, cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution. Role-playing helps them process emotions, build self-regulation, and understand social cues. The give-and-take of those "serve and return" interactions during play is crucial for developing these vital relationship skills that will help children form healthy relationships as they grow into adolescence and all the way into adulthood.
Physical Development: From running and climbing to drawing and manipulating small objects, play enhances both gross and fine motor skills, coordination, and physical stamina, fostering healthy habits and body confidence.
Resilience and Well-Being: Play provides a vital outlet for stress reduction and emotional expression. It fosters creativity, self-expression, and a sense of control, helping children build resilience and confidence, and serves as an avenue for children to find joy and make meaning, even (and especially!) in the face of adversity.
It is precisely because of these benefits that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in its Article 31, explicitly states that every child has the right to engage in play and encourages the provision of equal opportunities to engage in cultural, artistic, recreational, and leisure activity. Today, these opportunities are far from equal. This is where VOCEL comes in.
Despite the sector’s widespread agreement that play is a hallmark of quality early education and strongly linked to school achievement and positive adult outcomes, too often families and educators don’t have the resources or support to make play a central component of children’s experience at home and school.
By bringing together supportive peer communities of parents, teachers, and school leaders, and facilitating interactive learning, VOCEL walks alongside the very people who are raising and educating young children – helping them become confident, passionate champions of early learning and joyful, playful learning partners for their children and students.
It’s not far-fetched to say we are on a mission to center play in early learning, and it will take all of us. Visit www.vocel.org/donate to learn more and invest in a world where the superfood of brain-building play is accessible to all – where it’s the standard, rather than a luxury.