Rediscover play during our free National Play Day event on August 7, 2019 with a Monstrous Adventure Playground at Prairie Winds Park from 3 - 7 p.m.
Play is the earliest means for learning and is of lifelong importance. Along with the physical health benefits, play is also a vehicle to support children’s fundamental social and cognitive skill development. Children face challenges such as sedentary behaviours, over-planned schedules and parental concerns over safety that many believe are reducing their chances of enjoying healthy and active lives. With the help of the organizations who signed the Calgary Play Charter, our goal is to create a variety of play opportunities throughout Calgary.
The City of Calgary was one of the first in Canada to declare its support of Article 31 of the U.N.Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that the child has a right to leisure, play, and participation in cultural and artistic activities. In 2015, ParticipACTION released an evidence-based position statement that suggests Canada could increase its poor grade by focusing on active outdoor play. For these reasons, we have addressed play as a critical social component to a healthy city, and have created several initiatives to broaden the awareness and importance of play.
We also received funding from Lawson Foundation which has allowed us to; conduct research with Calgary parents on forms of play and play spaces; pilot evidence-based play programs; and create a municipal Play Charter. Additionally, Council provided funding to support the 2017 International Play Conference as well as, to continue to build and enhance play infrastructure in City parks.