What you need to know

• Play builds leaders. Research shows that 67% of women say the skills they gained through sports carried into adulthood, shaping how they lead in their careers and communities.
• Leadership is learned through experience, not theory. Through sports and play, girls build skills like teamwork (73%), learning from mistakes (53%), and handling pressure (51%). These skills can help them later in life.
• Play builds confidence. Nearly half of women leaders (49%) say their leadership development is directly tied to skills gained through sports and play, underscoring why access matters from the start.

Source: Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women’s Leadership (Women’s Sports Foundation)

Across three countries and three very different realities, Helga, Sreylen, and Neema each show what play can make possible and what it gives back to girls who need it most.

Nine-year-old Helga sits at a small table inside a Plan-supported child-friendly space in Cherkasy, Ukraine, her brush moving quickly across the page. Outside, air-raid sirens can interrupt the day at any moment. Inside, she paints uninterrupted – blues, greens, bursts of yellow.

In a life shaded by fear and uncertainty, having the freedom to play is one of the few moments where Helga gets to decide what happens next.

Relaxing under a tree at the edge of her schoolyard in Cambodia’s Stung Treng province, 11-year-old Sreylen catches her breath after a volleyball game. Not long ago, few children at her school knew how to throw a ball, let alone play a team sport. Now the court fills fast – boys and girls side by side, calling plays, laughing, learning.

“I don’t think volleyball is only for boys,” she says. “We all have different strengths, and we all have the right to play.”

Every serve, every rally, is teaching her how to work with others, trust her own abilities, and feel confident in what she can do.

At 16, Neema was expected to become a wife. Instead, she’s running across a dusty field in the Katavi region of Tanzania, calling out to her teammates as the soccer ball changes direction. Later, she rehearses lines for a community play, her voice growing stronger with each attempt.

Through a Plan International’s Champions of Change club – which organizes the games, Neema has reclaimed something she almost lost: time to be a teen – and space to imagine a different future.

Why play matters

These three stories show – and research backs it – that play isn’t a break from learning; it is learning.

“Play is how children make sense of the world,” says Mariana Brussoni, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. “It’s how they try new things, work with others, build confidence, and experience joy, fun, and thrill.”

What Helga feels when she paints, what Sreylen discovers on the volleyball court, and what Neema finds on the soccer field aren’t small moments. They’re the building blocks for how children learn, recover, and grow.

Leadership, confidence, and teamwork are built in real time, in real moments, just like the ones these girls describe.

• 73% of women say teamwork skills they learned through sports shaped how they lead.
• 53% say play taught them to learn from mistakes.
• 51% say it helped them handle pressure.
• Nearly half of women leaders link their leadership development directly to skills gained through play.

Play builds leaders, long before they ever step into leadership roles.

The right to play is still out of reach

In 2024, the United Nations designated June 11 as the International Day of Play, a milestone that Plan International helped champion, drawing on decades of evidence that proves play is essential to children’s learning and well-being. The day recognizes play as a fundamental right under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

These moments are part of something bigger. Play is increasingly recognized as essential to children’s learning, well-being, and equality – a truth reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s global goals for improving education, health, and gender equality. Together with the Convention, they make one thing clear: Every child should have the chance to play.

But for millions of children, especially girls, that right is still out of reach.

“Play should not be viewed as something children earn after productivity or achievement,” says Marjorie Cole, president of the International Play Association Canada. “While food, shelter, and physical safety are essential, play also supports the emotional and psychological healing children need to cope, recover, and continue to thrive in difficult environments. Play becomes more than fun – it becomes a lifeline.”

How Plan supports play, by design

Plan International supports play not as an add-on but as a core part of how children learn, heal, and regain stability. “Play is designed with intention and built around safety, inclusion, and child agency,” says Peter Simms, senior education advisor at Plan International Canada.

Some examples from Plan’s recent programming:

• In Ukraine, nearly 4,800 children took part in play-based psychosocial activities through the Rising Strong project, with more than 3,000 reporting improved well-being and a greater sense of safety.
• In Kenya, the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project reached more than 41,000 students through participatory theatre and puppetry, helping children connect, learn, and express themselves.
• In a West Nile refugee settlement, in Uganda, nearly 400 young children arrive at learning centres each day, rebuilding their daily routines through songs, bottle-cap counting, handmade toys, and outdoor play.

“When play becomes part of everyday life again, children regain a sense of normalcy,” says Simms. “It helps rebuild connections and supports their readiness and resilience. I’ve seen children go from withdrawn to curious in just a few hours of play. It can completely change how they see themselves and what they believe is possible.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is play-based learning?

It’s learning by doing. When children build, pretend, create, or explore, they’re also learning how to solve problems, work with others, and grow more confident.

2. Why is play so important for girls?

Play helps girls try things out, take the lead, and see what they’re capable of. It’s fun – and it’s also how confidence starts.

3. What does play look like in crisis settings?

It can be as simple as a paintbrush, a ball, or a safe spot to gather. In places affected by conflict or poverty, these small moments help children rebuild routine, reconnect, and start learning again.

4. How does Plan International Canada support children’s play?

By creating safe spaces where kids can play and learn, such as from child-friendly spaces and community programs like Champions of Change clubs.

5. How does play help girls build confidence and leadership skills?

Play gives girls chances to speak up, make decisions, and work with others. Calling for the ball, leading a game, or performing for friends – these moments build confidence and leadership in real time.