OurDeclaration
The Philadelphia Declaration of Play
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the restrictions on play which have developed over recent decades and separate themselves from the impediments to said free play for all children, we must declare the causes that limit children’s opportunities to play and endeavor to overcome these impediments. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all children are created equal, that they are endowed by their society with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of physical, creative, and imaginative Play. To secure these rights, we come together to declare the importance of play
- to demonstrate that play facilitates learning
- to illustrate that play is essential for neurological, biological, and psychosocial development
- to recognize that play is a joyful experience
To these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish the conditions which have removed play from our children’s lives, and to institute new societal priorities and school policies. Moreover, it is our goal to influence parental choices to pursue play opportunities for their children. In doing so we are laying the foundation to improve our children’s health and happiness.
