How playing helps children dealing with emergency, conflict and crisis

In wars and natural disasters, children lose not just their homes and schools, but also the chance to play, a need as vital as food, water and shelter.

Around the world, millions of children are living through emergencies, whether from conflict and displacement*, climate disasters, natural disasters or outbreaks of widespread disease.

Crises disrupt every part of a child’s daily life, from their routines to their sense of safety and access to spaces where they can simply be children.

To recover, children need more than urgent food, clean water and shelter – they need to play.

Play is just as essential to children’s recovery as any other basic need.

WHEN CAN CHILDREN PLAY?
When families are forced to flee, schools are destroyed and parks are no longer safe, children lose the freedom to play, connect and feel safe.

In these emergencies, UNICEF’s Child Friendly Spaces become a lifeline.

Set up by UNICEF, these safe and welcoming areas offer children a place to feel secure, protected and free to be themselves.

Whether it is a simple mat in an evacuation centre or a dedicated space in a refugee camp*, these spaces provide children a chance to play, learn and recover.

While in these spaces, children take part in activities designed to restore their sense of calm and a normal life.

These activities include:

• Group games like relay races or ball games that build friendships

• Arts and crafts such as drawing and painting to spark creativity

• Music and dance that allow children to express themselves and feel joy

• Sports like soccer and skipping to encourage movement and teamwork

• Educational games, including reading and puzzles to support continued learning

• Free play with toys or blocks, giving children the freedom to explore and feel in control.

UNICEF AND PLAY
UNICEF set up its first Child Friendly Space in 1999 for refugee children during the Kosovo War*.

Within months, the play space concept was rolled out for other emergencies, including the devastating Izmit earthquake* in Turkey that same year.

Over the past 26 years, Child Friendly Spaces have become a core part of UNICEF’s humanitarian* response in emergencies across the globe.

Each space is shaped to fit the needs of the communities and the countries they serve.

SYRIA, THE MIDDLE EAST
Thirteen years of crisis has left children and families in Syria facing continuing hardship.

Earlier this year, a wave of violence brought fresh fear.

In rural Lattakia, 11-year-old Jana found some comfort through UNICEF-supported activities and games to help bring back a sense of normal life and to rediscover her happiness.

“When I started coming to the sessions, I felt joy, excitement and safe,” Jana said. “Time passes so quickly here. I feel happy and content with my friends.”

SUDAN, AFRICA
Sudan continues to face overlapping emergencies of armed conflict, disease outbreaks, hunger, famine and flooding.

In Kassala State’s Shagarab camp, 12-year-old Sabrin attends a UNICEF-supported Child Friendly Space, where she uses her creativity through drawing and colouring, but also finds connection, strength and hopes for a brighter future.

“I love spending time with my friends. I’m happy here because I get to see them. We draw, play, laugh, talk, and support each other’s study,” she said.

MYANMAR, ASIA
Four years into Myanmar’s crisis, children are living through times of violence and displacement, while also recovering after one of the country’s deadliest earthquakes.

UNICEF is providing emergency aid and focusing on mental health through recreation kits that help children find a way to heal and feel supported in the most challenging times.

“When children play, they momentarily escape the harsh realities around them,” UNICEF Education Officer Mra Thuzar said.

“These moments of joy are not just about fun, they’re essential stepping stones on children’s paths to recovery, helping them process trauma and rebuild their sense of security in a world that has suddenly become unpredictable.”

UKRAINE, EUROPE
Three years into the war in Ukraine, children with disabilities face even greater challenges in accessing protection and aid and are more likely to be left behind.

In Nizhyn, a UNICEF-supported centre is helping break down these barriers.

Dariia, aged 12, attends the centre, where her mother Iryna leads dance classes and sees the benefit of the personalised care and the resilience* within every child.

“Dariia’s memory has improved, her handwriting is better, and she’s started drawing independently and cutting out shapes more neatly. These changes are noticeable, and they bring so much joy,” Iryna said.

To mark World Children’s Day on Thursday 20 November, thousands of children across Australia will take part in UNICEF Australia’s A Minute of Loudness, raising their voices for every child’s Right to Play.

Join Kids News tomorrow to celebrate World Children’s Day with star Australian swimmer Emma McKeon.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF DARIIA DANCING HER DREAM IN UKRAINE

WATCH THE VIDEO OF JANA’S STORY IN SYRIA

POLL

GLOSSARY

• displacement: when people have to leave their homes for reasons they can’t control like war or natural disaster
• refugee camp: camps set up for large groups of people who have had to flee their country because they were in danger there
• Kosovo War: a conflict in Kosovo between ethic Albanians and ethnic Serbs and the Yugoslavian government from 1998-1999
  Izmit earthquake: a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Kocaeli Province, Turkey on August 17, 1999, in which 18,373 people were killed and 48,901 were injured
  humanitarian: seeking to help the welfare of humans
  resilience: being able to bounce back from hard times

EXTRA READING
Day of Play: let the games begin
Aussie student’s message for world’s parents
Wiggles’ brave new chapter

QUICK QUIZ
1. What do UNICEF’s child-friendly spaces allow kids caught up in emergencies to do?
2. Where are two places in the world where these child-friendly spaces have helped kids?
3. What are some of the activities that kids can do there?
4. In what ways do crises affect the lives of children?
5. What are some of the basic needs of children?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. World Children’s Day
How could you make a difference to children around the world to celebrate World Children’s Day in these crisis affected areas?

Work in a small group of 2-3 students to brainstorm which areas of need you would like to focus on and what you could possibly do to help out or fundraise for this project.

Write your ideas and project outline below.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Ethical, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Are there areas or communities around Australia that you feel would benefit from a safe play space such as this?

Do you agree with the statement that the need for play is as vital as the need for food, water and shelter? Explain your answer.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Geography, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Wow word recycle
There are plenty of wow words (ambitious pieces of vocabulary) being used in the article. Some are in the glossary, but there might be extra ones from the article that you think are exceptional as well.

Identify all the words in the article that you think are not common words, and particularly good choices for the writer to have chosen.

Select three words you have highlighted to recycle into your own sentences.

If any of the words you identified are not in the glossary, write up your own glossary for them.

Extension
Find a bland sentence from the article to up-level. Can you add more detail and description? Can you replace any base words with more specific synonyms?

Down-level for a younger audience. Find a sentence in the article that is high level. Now rewrite it for a younger audience so they can understand the words without using the glossary.