Celebrating National Children’s Day

May 17, 2015

We were excited today to be celebrating National Children’s Day this year in Bradford. Andy, one of our Board members and I ran a little Pop-Up today! We did a little promoting, brought loads of loose parts, did a little staging and let the children come to us! Here are some photos:

National Children's Day 2015 1
We took lots of loose parts. We’re not sure where the helmet came from but we had it!

National Children's Day 2015 2
The loose parts included these giant tubes which they loved throwing on the ground to make a really loud “PONK” sound.
National Children's Day 2015 3
There were quiet moments too – some very intensive creative things were done.
children's right to play
Children played together, giggled together, and drew together.

National Children's Day 2015 5
This brother-sister combo made a sledge with their mum and took it in turns pulling each other around the room.
celebrating children's right to play
This young lady saw some straws, declared she was making a kite, and then shouted me to go outside to see it in action!

Embracing the spirit of play

It was a quiet little Pop-Up. However, we saw plenty of action and play. Andy and I spent quality time with the children as playworkers. We were invited to join in their play, setting aside our adult agendas. This experience truly embodied the spirit of National Children’s Day UK. It is a day to celebrate children’s rights and prioritise their needs! During the event we celebrated the children’s right to play (UNCRC article 31), and through this opportunity, we also exercised their right to choice (article 14), their right to speak their own mind (article 13), and their right to hang out with whoever they want (article 15). That’s a lot of rights celebrated in one day, but it shouldn’t just be a one-day only thing – this should be every day.

We want everyone to know that Pop-Up Adventure Play celebrates children’s rights, especially their right to play, every day.

Happy National Children’s Day everyone

We hope you celebrated with some play!

To find out more about Zan, please visit her personal blog. If you want to find out more about Pop-Up Adventure Play, please like their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter. And of course, you can explore our website further.

By Zan