INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
“PLAY: EVERYWHERE AND FOR EVERYONE”
“The Developmental and Healing Role of Play”
June 1-3, 2025
Uskudar University
Workshops – Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus – Üsküdar, June 1, 2025
Congress – Üsküdar University NP Health Campus – Ümraniye, June 2-3, 2025
In 2024, the United Nations declared June 11 as the International Day of Play, marking a significant milestone in efforts to prioritize and promote play as a means for everyone, especially children, to realize their full potential. Play is more than just "entertainment"; it is a universal language spoken by people of all ages and transcends national, cultural, social, and economic barriers Hence, the International Day of Play aims to highlight the role and importance of play in human development, particularly for children, through scientific evidence and global practices.
Furthermore, to emphasize the critical role of parents in their children's lifelong development, the United Nations declared June 1 as the Global Day of Parents in 2012. Throughout June, themes such as "powerful parenting" and "positive parenting" are shared, alongside global and national calls to strengthen policies that support parental programs.
The parenting theme for 2024 has been chosen as "Playful Parenting," underscoring the importance of the joy parents experience while playing with their children The key principle of playful parenting is to share the joy of play with children in a way that doesn’t feel like a "duty." This skill is developed when adults recognize, discover, and embrace their playful sides. However, viewing play solely as a childhood activity or as a reward for "being a good child" or "studying well" has contributed to a cultural perception of play as merely a "leisure activity" in nearly every culture.
Play is one of children's most fundamental rights. It enhances creativity and imagination while enriching physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Through play, children rehearse life and develop fine and gross motor skills. They learn essential behaviors,
knowledge, and skills by experiencing them during play. Additionally, they grasp, adopt, and reinforce concepts such as human relationships, cooperation, communication, acquiring knowledge, developing habits, and understanding life roles through play.
Scientific studies, especially neuroscience research highlight that play is essential for the developmental processes and is necessary for physical, social, emotional, and cognitive well- being. From this perspective, the time has come to embed play into every aspect of life, fostering more sensitive interactions between children and adults.
The Congress, therefore, aims to draw attention to the importance of play in the lifelong development journeys of children, parents, and all adults.
Participants and Invitees
Organized by the Child Development Department, Faculty of Health Science at Üsküdar University, the congress will host invited speakers and organize workshops along with oral/poster presentations, and panel discussions.
Participants will include graduate students, researchers, academics, and field experts working on diverse aspects of child development and play. International experts are also expected to attend.
In collaboration with international organizations and civil societies, the congress will bring global examples of playful parenting and concepts related to the development of children and youth. The Congress will further explore how creative and innovative play can be developed in the lives of children and adults, contributing to the global development agenda including the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).