Playlist #3: Six Practical Resources to Support Learning through Play
June 11 marks the third annual International Day of Play which recognizes that play is a fundamental right and a powerful driver of children’s learning and development. To mark the occasion, I am happy to share the third post in a series of “playlists” that introduce resources on playful learning for program managers and practitioners. This one focuses on six practical resources and tools to support program design, implementation, and evaluation.
As a starting point, I recommend consulting the LEGO Foundation’s Learning Through Play platform which features research on the importance of learning through play, activities for parents, caregivers, and children, and tools. And to learn more about the International Day of Play (IDOP) check out KW Strategy’s One Stop IDOP Shop.
1. Play to Learn Resource Hub: A collaboration of Sesame Workshop, BRAC, the International Rescue Committee, and NYU Global TIES for Children, the Play to Learn Resource Hub makes freely available the program materials, media content, research, and technical resources developed over six years of delivering early childhood development programming to children and caregivers affected by the Rohingya and Syrian refugee crises in Bangladesh, Lebanon, Jordan, and beyond. The Hub offers practical guidance on how to implement effective programs for young children and families in humanitarian contexts. Resources can be browsed by theme or sector, including health, psychosocial support, education, and protection. Short on time? Start with the key factors that led to success across different program types and contexts.
2. Play Matters Learning through Play Library: The library offers a rich collection of learning through play (LtP) resources designed to support teachers, school leaders, and learners at the pre-primary and primary levels. Developed through the PlayMatters project, the library reflects over five years of work to sustainably integrate LtP in pre-primary and primary schools serving refugee and host community children aged 3–12 in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. The library also includes globally relevant materials developed for acute humanitarian responses. Short on time? Start with the teacher professional development materials and the facilitator guides for training trainers.
3. Let’s Play! This collection of 14 resources from Save the Children includes a Guidance Note, a Brief, and case studies from diverse country contexts. The Guidance Note provides a definition of play and the characteristics of quality play, a conceptual framework organized around the right to play, learning through play, and resilience through play, and a rationale and evidence base supporting the power of play in programming across health, education, and protection sectors. Resources are available in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
4. Build a World of Play Solutions Hub: Hosted by Lever for Change, the Hub features the top ideas that emerged from the Build a World of Play Challenge, a global competition launched in 2022. The Challenge received 627 submissions from 86 countries, with applications evaluated by multidisciplinary experts based on four criteria: impact, feasibility, community-centeredness, and sustainability. The Hub is a useful source of inspiration and learning for practitioners looking for innovative, field-tested program models, including several focused on the inclusion of children with disabilities.
5. The Engage Toolkit: The Toolkit was developed to help practitioners, researchers, and system actors understand how children’s engagement in learning is supported through playful, child-centered, and exploratory practices in different learning environments. It consists of observation and survey tools for children from birth to 12 years old, alongside associated guidance materials developed and piloted by RTI International and NYU Global TIES for Children.
6. Play@TED: A partnership between TED, the LEGO Group, and the LEGO Foundation, Play@TED is a new global initiative launched in 2026 to inspire a worldwide movement to make creative play a priority in homes, schools, and communities. The platform features TED Talks from leading experts on the role and impact of play, new TED-Ed animations exploring how play fuels creativity, resilience, and curiosity, and an Action Hub with resources, discussion points, quizzes, and curricula to help educators embed playful learning into existing teaching frameworks.
Are you working in learning through play in emergencies? Consider joining the INEE Learning Through Play in Emergencies Reference Group, which convenes actors using play-based approaches to support children’s learning and well-being in crisis-affected contexts. The group leverages the growing evidence base and global interest in learning through play to share learning, curate knowledge, and co-develop guidance to strengthen learning through play in emergencies interventions.
