Play is crucial to children’s healthy development and happiness and is vital for
children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Secure emotional attachments between adults and children have been shown to be fundamental in supporting children’s ability to cope with stress, anxiety and difficult situations. Play also offers children huge opportunities to ‘try out’ or ‘test’ new or challenging situations – leading to increased confidence, self-esteem, resilience and well-being. Research into the role of play suggests that children’s natural playfulness allows for some crucially important functions to develop for healthy physical and mental well-being.

View the latest Play Matters factsheet here