Archive World Play Week in Brazil
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2022
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In 2022, the World Play Week (WPW) in Brazil celebrated its 13th year with the engagement and mobilisation of different sectors of society in a collective, horizontal and decentralised construction process for the right to play.
The annual theme of the Alliance for Childhood in Brazil in 2022 was “Trust”. Within this, the theme of the 2022 World Play Week was “Trusting the power of Play”. It is in the Alliance for Childhood letter of principles that "childhood is a time to learn trust". That is why, in 2022, when the movement celebrated 21 years in Brazil – its 'coming of age', we looked around us and, in the midst of a tumultuous social context, we reviewed our progress and turned to our essence: trusting that we can provide our children a fulfilled and dignified childhood and that playing is fundamental to this. We wanted to highlight that through play, children gain confidence, learn to trust themselves and others. Play is also instrumental to trusting nature, trusting public spaces and the world. Playing is a child's way of existing in the world and trusting that it will work out, that everything can be better.
In order for the World Play Week in Brazil to take place, the Alliance for Childhood launches a date and theme proposal, publishes and produces content to inspire action, and invites society to participate by planning and carrying out activities with autonomy.
In 2022, 680 activities were registered by 427 participants (individuals, organised civil society groups, institutions, networks, schools and other government bodies). Registrations came from 170 different cities and 235,000 people participated, both children and adults.
The World Play Week has inspired people to take action more intensely in the last two years, resulting, in 2022, 20 cities passing laws to establish the World Play Week as a municipal public policy, and inserting WPW in the city's official calendar of events. Altogether, there are now more than 50 cities in Brazil with similar laws.
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2021
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In 2021, the World Play Week took place between the 22nd and 30th of May, with the theme “Children's Houses”. Anyone can participate in World Play Week, creating and executing actions. It is not necessary to ask for authorisation; just do it, register the activity and mark Aliança pela Infância on social networks, with the hashtags # smb2021 and #semanamundialdobrincar. Soon, we will also make available on our website the visual identity materials of the Week and a form for those who carry out activities; with the information sent, we will share the details on our media outlets as well.
It is natural for children to imagine new worlds and create beauty by playing, tidying, decorating, coloring. However, in this moment of pandemic, the Alliance for Childhood understands that it is essential to strengthen this child's play, especially the playful activity that expresses the protection and shelter needs of children. An example of this type of play is the make-believe of childhood houses - the sand castle, the hide and seek, the blanket hut, the tree house - in short, everything that can happen in the different spaces where children feel free to play. More details. (In Portuguese)
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2019
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Every year, a great event mobilises the Alliance for Childhood and all its centres spread throughout Brazil. It is World Play Week, an initiative created to celebrate free play as a medium that encourages the development of children and allows them to experience their creativity and imagination.
If in 2016 the theme turned to the relations between play and space; and in 2017 its connection with the idea of ​​time, in 2018 all Brazil and even Latin America dealt with the play that involves the body and the soul.
This year it is time to talk about diversity: cultures, peoples, customs and bodies and souls. With the theme "Playing that embraces difference", SMB 2019 - which will take place between May 25 and June 2 - seeks to make possible multiple reflections about the game as a territory of conviviality among the differences. After all, the first interactions among children take place during playful experiences.
To live, relate and play with people of different realities stimulates the development of empathy that only human contact can provide.
Read more here (in Portuguese)
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2018
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The theme of World Play Week 2018 was 'Playing Body and Soul'. Information as made available on the Alliance website to guide the discussion and to narrow the relationship of activities within the theme. Thus, many educators, coordinators, directors and teachers proposed games that combine fun and physical movement. Read about it here. (In Portuguese)
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For the first time, the World Play Week occurred simultaneously in nine countries in the region (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile) in addition to Brazil. The independent organisation Terre des Hommes, Germany (tdh-A), works with projects that support children, and is one of the most important articulators of the World Week of Play in those countries. Read more here. (In Spanish)
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2017
The Theme for 2017 was "Play that Enchants Time". In 2017, the Alliance for Childhood promoted a World Play Week dedicated to time, more precisely to rhythm: playing that enchants the life rhythm of childhood and cadence of life with imagination, fantasy and physical and mental experiences. See videos and read about events here. (In Portuguese)
If in 2016, World Play Week (WPW) dealt with space, with the theme "Play that Enchants Place", now we move forward with time, so that we accumulate knowledge and essential reflections in this continuous time-space. A continuum that in childhood can and should be charmed! All life implies rhythm. The set of vital processes is a rhythmic harmony, just as the whole Universe pulsates in rhythms. The human being is a conjunction of multiple different rhythms - biological rhythms, the rhythm of nature, the rhythm of the seasons. Everything has ebb and flow, everything has its tides, everything goes up and down, everything is manifested by compensating oscillations. It expands and is inspired; There is sleep and waking; Hunger and satiety; activity and rest.
