Johannesburg, 22 January 2015- Cotlands applauds the inclusion of World Play Day into the UNICEF South Africa advocacy calendar for 2015.
World Play Day, held each year on 28 May, is a day set aside to highlight the importance of play in a child’s development and to promote every child’s right to play as set out in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the child.
As a long-time supporter of World Play Day, Cotlands believes that this acknowledgment by UNICEF SA will propel this awareness day to a higher level.
“The acknowledgment of World Play Day by UNICEF South Africa adds weight to the importance of play, particularly in the South African context were many of our children below the age of 6 have limited or often no access to early childhood development opportunities,” said Cotlands CEO, Jackie Schoeman.
World Play Day was initiated by the International Toy Libraries Association in 1987. Since becoming a member of the association in 2012, Cotlands has held play events on 28 May across the country, providing children access to a variety of play activities.
For children in under-resourced communities play has significant benefits such as improved physical well-being and skills development, but also social and emotional development.
While this is the second year that the international day has been acknowledged by UNICEF South Africa, Cotlands hopes that through more media engagement and support from other institutions World Play Day will create significant public awareness on the importance play in early childhood development.