Early childhood is a critical window of opportunity in a child’s development—one that shapes their future in profound ways. During this period, children need nurturing care, parental support, strong community networks, and family-friendly policies to thrive. When these elements come together, they create the foundation for healthy growth, lifelong learning, and stronger, more connected societies.
For more than 30 years, scientific research has consistently shown that the most important phase of human development occurs from birth to age eight.
One of the most powerful ways children develop these essential skills is through play. Play is not just entertainment—it is a proven, science-backed method of learning that helps children explore, experiment, and develop key abilities that will serve them well into adulthood.
Understanding the immense value of play, we set out to create a campaign that empowers parents to recognize that even the smallest moments of presence and engagement can have lifelong benefits.
Our goals were clear:
Kids are always observing. Their wide eyes always see more than we think. Research shows that they learn more from actions than what they hear. It is normal for children pretend to be queens, warriors, firemen, Barbie, Spiderman etc. and through imitation play out these roles.
Knowing this, we conducted a social experiment where in a funny but profound way, we asked children to pretend to be their parents in different circumstances. And we see how their parents react to their children’s imitation of them.
Mimicking parents' mannerisms of their response to joy, pressure, sadness, rants, laughter etc could be good evergreen content. But even more importantly, it teaches parents that they remain the first, friend, teacher and example for their children who are keen observers and participatory learners. This reinforces positive parenting.
So we invited 10 young children, between the ages of 4 and 10 years old, from different parts of the world to imitate the mannerisms of their parents/caregivers in various scenarios. For example
Looking on, there was a wide range of emotions from their parents. There was laughter, there was admission, there was sadness. There was a strong realization for the need to play more with their children.
We filmed this experiment and put the best pieces in a two and half minute long video and a social cutdown of 90 seconds in vertical and landscape orientations subtitling in 4 languages, English, French, Spanish and Arabic and posted it on all our social media channels on June 1 2024 which is the International day of parents.
To maximize accessibility, we provided subtitles in four major languages—English, Spanish, Arabic, and French—ensuring that as many people as possible could engage with the content. Additionally, we produced multiple format variations, including vertical, landscape, square (1x1), and 4x5 aspect ratios, making it adaptable for different social media platforms.
To amplify the reach, we implemented a multi-channel, integrated approach. The video was published across UNICEF’s global and regional social media channels, spanning various languages and reaching millions of followers. We also engaged partners, influencers, and advocacy groups to share the message on their own platforms, significantly extending its reach.
We set out with a bold ambition—to ignite a positive shift in the way parents perceive and engage in play with their children. Play is often overlooked or deprioritized in the busy world of adulthood, but we wanted to remind parents that play is not just for children—it is a shared experience that strengthens bonds, fosters learning, and creates lasting memories.
And we succeeded.
Our campaign resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, generating an incredible 1.5 billion impressions on social media. This massive reach signaled that the message of play had truly captured global attention. But beyond just being seen, our campaign inspired action and conversation, leading to an impressive 1.2 million social media engagements—a clear indication that parents and caregivers were not just passive viewers but active participants in the movement.
The real testament to our success, however, was the emotional outpouring we witnessed in the comments and responses across our social media platforms. Parents shared heartfelt stories about how the video reminded them to be more present with their children. Some reflected on their own childhood experiences and how play had shaped them, while others pledged to incorporate more play into their daily routines. I have attached a few of these responses in the picture section.
These raw, genuine reactions proved that this campaign was more than just numbers—it was a catalyst for real change in how families experience play.
