National Play Day

Have fun, learn and make every day an adventure!

The theme for this year's Playday is ‘Playing on a shoestring – making every day an adventure’. Celebrated annually on the first Wednesday in August, Playday 2026 takes place on Wednesday 5th August, highlighting the importance of play in children's lives.

The theme focuses on the everyday, low-cost play adventures children can enjoy at home, in settings, and in our communities. Expensive toys or far-off trips are unnecessary, often, the simplest ideas offer the most fun and developmental benefit. Play helps children make sense of the world, build resilience, and cope with challenges.

This year’s theme encourages "everyday adventures" and "playful moments" that turn ordinary spaces into extraordinary playgrounds. There are many simple, cost-free ideas to try. You could:

• Build a den using blankets and chairs: then learn about different kinds of homes lived in throughout history and around the world, e.g. igloos & teepees.

• Create an obstacle course: use hula hoops, ropes, and things to jump over and crawl under. Learn about the different parts of the body that make us bend and run.

• Hold paper aeroplane competitions: using old newspapers see who’s can fly the furthest. Learn about the first aeroplanes or the science behind what makes them fly.

• Animal matching game with hand-drawn cards: draw lots of animals and then learn what animals are related to each other.

• Play sink-or-float: experiment with items from your home and garden.

• Play “excavation": discover mini-beasts in the soil, or bury themed items in a sandpit such as toy dinosaurs or small artefacts and uncover them with a small paintbrush to be paleontologist or archaeologist. Learn about dinosaurs or make up stories connecting the artefacts they uncover.

• Yuck or yum: put lots of little pieces of different foods on a plate and play mix and match flavours. Combining two unusual foods can be funny or genius. 

Tamworth is embodies this spirit with some playful things to do locally:• Footy Fairy Tales at Tamworth Library: On Monday 10th August, enjoy an affordable family theatre show combining football and fairy tales. Tickets are just £3 for the first child and 50p for siblings, with adults free.• Pick Your Own Fruit at Manor Farm Fruits:Enjoy a day of outdoor adventure picking strawberries and raspberries, with a play area, bouncy castles, and a nature trail for little explorers.• The National Fairground Museum at Statfold Country Park: Open on school holidays pop along and explore the vintage fairground. Get ready for fun on 8 awesome vintage fairground rides to enjoy and ride! Try your luck at two vintage prize stalls, then head to the arcades for some classic 2p slot action or why not take on the wild challenge of the Over the Edge games? Let the good times roll! 

This Playday, let's champion better play spaces and help create a more playful world where every child can thrive.

Image Credits: Tuan Nguyen Van & Polesie Toys via pexels.com