The International Day of Play: The importance of Play & Green Space in Displacement Settlements

Young Girl Playing Together, Syria (source: yhya_1990)

The International Day of Play, set on 11th June 2025, is a global celebration recognising the vital role of play in human development.¹ It’s more than just fun—it’s a fundamental right, especially for children, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.² 

Why Play Matters

"Play fosters creativity, resilience, and social inclusion - helping individuals build relationships, overcome challenges, and develop essential life skills."

Play-based learning has been proven to enhance engagement, motivation, and knowledge retention in educational settings.³ In Western societies, there is an important strand of modern thinking about the creation of valuable and successful play opportunities, in an age so dominated by staying indoors, and isolated digital gaming, that suggests the outdoors should be encountered by children.⁴ Today, there is a growing movement on reimagining how the play spaces should be designed and what it means for all age groups and abilities, with one of the fastest growing movements in the UK being the initiative ‘’Make Space for Girls’’ that campaigns for facilities and public spaces for teenage girls.

Play, Displacement, and Healing

Last year HLC ran a workshop on the theme of 'Earth', which was interpreted as the connection people have with the land. We explored the impact of people losing that connection through forced displacement, including the psychological and cultural connection to ‘home’ associated with landscapes & land practices, the role of the environment in meeting their & the host community’s daily needs and the rights to it imposed by political systems.⁵ Play is a vital element of meeting children’s needs and future development.

Child-Friendly Spaces and the Refugee Context

Child-Friendly Spaces (CFSs)⁶ is the main internationally recognised humanitarian aid initiative for children, and it is typically the only place where safe play opportunities can be accessed in refugee camps. However, play in a CFS is typically adult-led, with limited freedom for children to explore through free play — a critical element of emotional processing and growth.⁷

“When it comes to inclusivity and comparing the different settings globally, we cannot possibly exclude the play opportunities that are available to displaced populations and marginalised kids.”

Breaking the Trauma Narrative

Most refugee children are assumed to be vulnerable, traumatised in some way, and therefore in need of psychosocial and other therapy-based interventions. ⁸ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁹ Whilst the role of sport for those working with refugees has become a recent area of academic analysis, these predominantly focus on the Global North.¹⁰ When it comes to inclusivity and comparing the different settings globally, we cannot possibly exclude the play opportunities that are available to displaced populations and marginalised kids. Research carried out in refugee camps is increasingly uncovering that, despite having either witnessed or been themselves subjected to violence, child refugees are highly resilient, eager to integrate and to take back control of their lives.¹¹ In Lagadikia refugee camp, Greece for example, children regained a sense of identity through art and incidental play — subtle yet powerful pathways to healing.

Programmes Making a Difference

Several international programs now champion play in refugee camps:

• Right to Play

• Growing Together

• Play Centres for Refugee Children

• Real Play Coalition

These initiatives recognise play as a fundamental right and as a powerful tool for resilience, healing, and hope.

A Call to Action

In the discussions of the displaced population's needs, play should now be included as a vital one. Landscape architects and the humanitarian sector must prioritise safe, inclusive play environments. These spaces are not luxuries—they’re critical to children’s mental health, emotional recovery, and long-term development

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References:

1.  International Day of Play | United Nations

2. First-ever International Day of Play | UNICEF

3. International Day of Play | United Nations

4. CABE Space. 2008. Public Space Lessons

5. Humanitarian Landscape Collective, 4 Elements Workshop: Earth, Landscape in Crisis Summary Document, July 2023

6. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/child-friendly-spaces-emergencies-handbook-save-children-staff 

7. Anna Ardelean (2021) Play in a refugee camp: disorder from chaos, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2021.2005395

8. Atkinson, L. (2007). Living, eating and learning: Children’s experiences of change and life in a refugee camp [Online]. PhD Thesis, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved from Anna Ardelean (2021) Play in a refugee camp: disorder from chaos, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2021.2005395

9. Williams, R., & Drury, J. (2012). Personal and collective psychosocial resilience: Implications for children, young people and their families involved in war and disasters [Online]. In D. T. Cook & J. Wall (Eds.), Children and armed conflict (pp. 57–75). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from Anna Ardelean (2021) Play in a refugee camp: disorder from chaos, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2021.2005395   

10. Berber Koopmans & Mark Doidge (2021): “They play together, they laugh together’: Sport, play and fun in refugee sport projects, Sport in Society, retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2022.2017816

11. Anna Ardelean (2021) Play in a refugee camp: disorder from chaos, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2021.2005395

12. Despoina Kouinoglou (2016-17), The Redesign of Refugee Camps and the Connection and Integration of Refugees with Local Communities through Space, first publication: ECOWEEK Book#2: 15 Paths to Sustainability: from Innovation to Social Design, edited by Dr. Elias Messinas and Despoina Kouinoglou, 2021, Retrieved from: https://www.humanitarianlc.org/projects/the-redesign-of-refugee-camps-and-the-connection-and-integration-of-refugees-with-local-communities-through-space