UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Spaces are safe places that UNICEF sets up during and after a crisis to help children cope with the trauma they’re experiencing.
The focus is on play, allowing children to escape the trauma of war or natural disaster.
Read on to learn more about how these safe havens are bringing laughter and light to children, and for some fun games you can play at home.
Child-Friendly Spaces are bright and fun and full of toys and activities to help children forget their worries for a while. Every space is different depending on the context it’s in. But they all have one thing in common. They are designed to help children heal from the scars of war or disaster, to adapt to new realities and find their voices among displacement, trauma and loss.
Child-Friendly Spaces allow children to be free to do what children do best. Play, run, sing, and have fun with their friends. Allowing them to express themselves freely helps them to come to terms with what has happened to them and to move on with hope.
It is also an opportunity for UNICEF to provide children and their families with essential health services like vaccinations, malnutrition screenings and psychosocial support. Our trained staff can also help to protect children from serious threats like exploitation and trafficking. During and after crises, UNICEF Child-Friendly Spaces serve as beacons of light, guiding children towards a brighter tomorrow where they can simply be children again.
Months after an earthquake hit the district of Jajarkot in Nepal’s northern mountains in November 2023, the devastating impacts on the local community could still be felt.
UNICEF worked with partners to establish a Child-Friendly Space to support the recovery and well-being of 234 children. Bindu Nepali is one of a team of specialists who are trained to work with children who have experienced a catastrophic event in their lives.
“For the few hours that children are here during the day, we make sure to keep their minds off the difficulties they may be facing in their lives,” she says. “We sing songs, play games… it’s good for them to be here.”
Ten-year-old Deena loves attending the Child-Friendly Space, which is full of laughter and light. And what brings the fifth grader here so regularly? “The toys,” she says shyly, before adding: “And seeing my friends.”
Play isn’t only fun, it’s essential for healthy growth. It helps children build skills, resilience and confidence. It’s fundamental to children’s development. It’s how they learn and make sense of the world around them. While they’re having fun, they’re also building motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills.
Play is also a vital tool in helping children to process and deal with stress. Long periods of stressful situations, like during a natural disaster or a war, can affect a child’s long-term physical and mental health. Research has shown that play helps children process difficult emotions, protecting them from the negative impacts of prolonged trauma.
A traumatised child may not be able to verbalise their pain but playing a game can often help them to communicate things they simply can’t say out loud. Giving children space to play allows them to work through feelings like pain, fear or loss while being able to still act like a child. It gives them a way to express things they are struggling with that they don’t have words to fully explain.
Baby mobile
The bright colours and textures of a mobile toy you can make to play with your baby helps them to develop essential hand-eye coordination and stimulates visual skills. Our mobile is easy to make with just some colourful ribbons and hair bands!
See how to make a baby mobile here.
Build-a-band
Pots and pans, plastic bowls and spoons. You can build your very own band with your little one and have great fun making music (and lots of noise!) while they learn to co-ordinate their movements and strengthen their muscles.
Build your own band here.
Imagination builder
Who would have thought that simple clothes pegs could be the stuff of dreams. You can create quirky shapes and creatures with just the pegs from your washing basket. Fire your child’s imagination and help them develop their creative skills.
Create your imagination builder here.
Can you be a light for children?
Supporting UNICEF today means you can help set up child-friendly spaces around the world. By giving a gift, particularly a monthly gift, you allow us to work fast in emergencies to save lives and run long-term programmes, like safe spaces, that keep vulnerable children healthy despite the multiple threats they face.
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