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Myuri Komaragiri, Education Specialist at Right to Play, speaks during the International Day of Play event at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 11 June 2026. The International Day of Play (IDOP), commemorated each year on 11 June, is a time to celebrate the power of play, to raise awareness about how central play is to every child’s development and well-being, and a time when we can come together to make sure that every child is able to fulfill their right to play. Play helps children to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Through play, they learn to forge connections with others, build a wide range of leadership skills, develop resilience, navigate relationships and social challenges, and conquer their fears. Play isn’t just fun – it’s essential.

Yuliia* (42) gave birth to her daughter, Tetiana* (2) in between air raid alerts in Ukraine a month after full-scale war broke out in February 2022. As soon as Tetiana was born, the alerts started again, and Yuliia was moved to a corridor in the hospital with her newborn and listened as the rockets flew overhead. Yuliia said she felt a lot of fear and anxiety not knowing what the next 24 hours would bring. Now, after 1,000 days of war, Yuliia and her daughters – Tetiana, Anna* (9) and Oksana* (5) – sleep in the corridor of their home each night, monitoring for attacks on their city in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is now very close to the front line of the war in Eastern Ukraine. A rocket recently hit 10-15 metres away from their home. Luckily, a wall saved their apartment block from shrapnel damage. Yuliia says the war has impacted on her children. When Tetiana – who has only ever known war in her short life – hears someone slam a door, she says: “there’s an explosion, let’s go to the shelter!” Anna, who has also only ever known war as she was born in 2014 when conflict first erupted in far eastern Ukraine, told her mother that she’s scared a rocket will hit their home. Yuliia’s children attend one of these Child Friendly Spaces, and she said it’s made a huge difference to her daughters’ wellbeing. She says when she’s watching her children in the space, she can tell how they forget about the war for a few hours and just be happy. Yuliia also attended positive parenting sessions organised by Save the Children’s partner. She says the mental health and psychosocial support activities during the sessions have helped her a lot, and she can better communicate with her children in times of stress. Sacha Myers / Save the Children