Shared Parenting Scotland Supports Playday 2025 – Celebrating Children’s Right to Play

Shared Parenting Scotland is pleased to support Playday 2025, the UK-wide celebration of children’s right to play, taking place this year on Wednesday 6 August.

Led by Play Scotland, PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play England, and Play Wales, Playday is held every year on the first Wednesday in August, with events across the country. It highlights play as a vital part of childhood – essential for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development.

This year’s theme #PlacesforPlay puts a spotlight on the spaces and opportunities children need to play freely, safely, and creatively.

We warmly welcome the Scottish Government’s renewed Play Vision (2025–2030), which recognises the critical role of parental involvement in enabling play. This is especially relevant to our work at Shared Parenting Scotland.

As our Veterans and Armed Forces Manager, Mark Downie, explains:

“We know that quality time through play strengthens parent–child attachment, a cornerstone of successful shared parenting. Play builds connection, resilience, and emotional wellbeing. It can also create lasting intergenerational bonds.”

“Through my outreach in the veteran community, I see first-hand the impact when military personnel are supported to spend time with their children. Shared play can be a powerful way of rebuilding and strengthening family relationships after time apart”.

At Shared Parenting Scotland, we believe that every child deserves the chance to enjoy playful, loving time with both parents.

Let’s celebrate play, protect spaces for play, and promote parenting that puts children’s needs and rights at the centre.