What is the Topeka Day of Play?

The Topeka Day of Play is a community-wide celebration of the power of play to help children learn, grow, and thrive.

The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center organizes the celebration alongside communities around the world celebrating the International Day of Play. This day highlights something that researchers, educators, and parents have long known: play is critical to how children learn and grow. 

This first-ever Topeka Day of Play is especially meaningful for us because the Discovery Center is celebrating our 15th year of serving Topeka families this month. For 15 years, we’ve worked alongside educators, caregivers, child care providers, and community partners to create opportunities for joyful, meaningful play. 

Why celebrate play?

Play is critical to how children learn and grow.

When children play, they’re learning how to learn. As they make sense of new experiences and test ideas, their brains build the infrastructure needed for lifelong learning. They learn resilience by trying new things and sticking with a task even when it gets hard. They also practice communication and collaboration, learning to work with others and accomplish goals. Download the Association of Children’s Museums Information Brief on the Power of Play

Unfortunately, play is often viewed as something separate from learning rather than one of its most powerful tools. Children today are less likely to play than children born only a generation ago. A study by a group of pediatricians in 2018 showed that a child born today will play, on average, 12 less hours per week than a child born in 1980. Community spaces designed for child-led play are critical for children to reclaim those hours.

Check out our resources below for research, expert tips, and sharable information on the importance of play.

What's happening on the Topeka Day of Play?

What better way to celebrate than by playing?

The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center is open on the Topeka Day of Play from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and families are invited to join us for a special Play & Movement activity at 10 a.m. 

We’re also taking time to celebrate the people who make that play possible. From 4 to 6 p.m., we’ll host a Volunteer Appreciation Event recognizing the dedicated volunteers who help care for exhibits, support programs, maintain our grounds, assist with special events, and create welcoming experiences for families every day. Their generosity of time and talent helps ensure that thousands of children have opportunities to learn through play each year.

At the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, we see every day how children learn through hands-on exploration, experimentation, creativity, movement, and imagination. Whether a child is building a tower, creating art, scaling The World’s Tallest Climbable Sunflower, or investigating how something works, they are developing skills that matter, both now and in the future.

How can I help promote play?

1. Make time for play.
Whether it’s building a blanket fort, playing a board game, exploring a park, or inventing a new game together, setting aside time for play sends children an important message: play matters.

2. Model play as a grown-up.
Get silly, be curious, and embrace imagination. Play helps reduce stress for adults, too, and shows children that creativity, exploration, and joy are valuable at every age.

3. Let children be in charge of their play. 
Not every activity needs instructions, a lesson plan, or a defined goal. Child-led play helps children build confidence, solve problems, and practice decision-making.

4. Advocate for places to play.
Children need safe, welcoming spaces where they can explore, move, and connect with others. Support parks, playgrounds, trails, libraries, museums, and other community spaces that make play possible.

5. Support organizations that champion play.
The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and other community organizations work every day to create opportunities for play-based learning. Volunteer, donate, become a member, or simply help spread the word about the importance of play.