LONDON/GENEVA, 11 June 2025 - Young children in the world’s poorest households are twice as likely* to miss out on play with a parent or caregiver than wealthier children, according to a Save the Children analysis released on the second annual International Day of Play.
Over half – or 57% - of the poorest children aged between 3 and 4 years-old in 88 countries do not have a parent or caregiver who plays or engages in early learning activities with them, even though play is crucial for children’s development.[1].
This is compared to only 29% of the wealthiest children.
The analysis was based on representative household surveys by the UN for 88 countries, which in 2024 had an estimated combined child population of 780 million (of which around 90 million were aged 3 or 4 years), with this broken down into five income groups.
Caregivers were asked if they had engaged in at least four activities in the previous three days with the children in their home. This list of activities included reading or telling stories, singing, going on an outing, playing with the child or helping the child to name, count or draw things.
In some countries the gap between the share of caregivers who reported playing with their children was less pronounced between the poorest and wealthiest households but in all countries, children from wealthier homes were more or just as likely to have someone able to engage in learning activities with them as their less well-off peers.
Various studies have shown that caregivers in the poorest households can be more likely to be under increased stress and have less access to resources and time to play with their children compared to their wealthier counterparts.[2]
The International Day of Play was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 to champion and protect children's right to play. It was added to the list of global annual observances recognised by the United Nations, following a successful campaign by Save the Children, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation and other partners.
The benefits of play are numerous. One of the most important is its ability to ignite creative thinking.
UNICEF notes that children are enjoying much less child-led, free play outdoors then their parents did as children. Public play spaces are threatened by urbanization, climate change, pollution, insecurity and conflict. [3]
Aaron Lee Morris, Senior Programme Officer at the LEGO Foundation, said:
“Play gives children the ability to stretch their minds in every possible direction, gives them the opportunity to invent realities that don’t yet exist. So when we prioritise play we are giving a huge boost to the creative thinkers, the problem solvers and the builders of tomorrow.”
Rachael Fermin, Regional Humanitarian Technical Advisor – Education Emergencies (EiE), Asia at Save the Children International, said:
“It shouldn't matter whether you are rich or poor. All children have a right to play. When children play, they connect with each other and their caregivers, they develop new skills, their imagination, confidence and an understanding of the world around them. But too many children are missing out on play at home and school, and this can negatively affect how they develop, feel, and relate to others. Every child should have the safe spaces, time, and freedom to play – and is an integral part of them thriving, and of us seeing that they are.”
This year, the theme of the International Day of Play is: ‘Choose Play – Everyday’.
For Save the Children, play is integral to quality programming in children’s homes, communities, formal and informal learning spaces, and safe spaces – as well as in other places they may find themselves, such as health centres, distribution centres and clinics.
Children’s access to and experience of play differs enormously and play often faces similar barriers to other rights Save the Children strives to protect. Barriers to play include gender, age, socio-economic status and disability.
ENDS
Methodology notes
*Based on a sample of 88 countries which had comparable data on the percentage of children aged between 36 and 59 months (i.e. 3 or 4 years) with whom adult household members engaged in activities that promote learning and school readiness, disaggregated by household income.
Save the Children analysed UNICEF data on "Early stimulation and responsive care by adults (%), (2015-2023)” which was published June 2024 and available here, filtering for countries that had this data broken down by household income level as well (88 countries). While data was gathered in various years, it represents the latest available at the time of consolidation. Save the Children then updated the play data for five of the 88 countries (Benin, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, and Tunisia) that have since made available newer Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) or similar household survey data following the publication of the June 2024 dataset. MICS is a household survey programme that generates data on the status and well-being of children, adolescents and their families.
The number of children per country was calculated using UN World Population Prospects. The wealthiest children are those from the wealthiest 20% of households whereas the poorest are from the bottom 20% of households based on income. There are around 17.9 million children aged 3 or 4 in each fifth (or quintile) in the included countries, making a total estimated 89.7 million children aged 3 or 4 in the countries included.
References:
[1,3] A Policy Call for Government Action on the First International Day of Play (2024)
[2] https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2024/09/new-study-links-low-incomes-stressed-parents-and-child-behaviour
https://www.unicef.org/media/165006/file/UNICEF-caring-for-caregiver-overview-guide-2024.pdf
[3] https://www.unicef.org/parenting/media/4416/file
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