Every child deserves the Joy of Play

Supporting children and young people through play

The confidence, creativity, resilience and social skills we carry through life are often shaped by something simple: the chance to play.

Yet across the UK, too many children are missing out on the joy and opportunities that play brings.

The government’s recent deep material poverty metric found that 2 million children (14%) were experiencing deep material poverty in 2023/24, meaning their families could not afford essential items and services, including age-appropriate toys.

When children have fewer opportunities to play, the impact goes beyond just missing out on fun. They can experience lower confidence, reduced wellbeing, increased anxiety, and greater challenges returning to school ready to learn and socialise.

Children themselves tell us what they need: more time, more space, and more freedom to play. Play makes them happier, more confident, and better equipped to thrive. It also supports learning, with 92% of children saying they learn better when learning is made playful. Meaningful play is fundamental to healthy development, strengthening emotional wellbeing, resilience, and confidence in learning.

Introducing Joy of Play

That’s why, In Kind Direct has launched Joy of Play – a national initiative helping children across the UK access the toys, games, sports equipment and creative activities they need to play, learn and thrive.

Since 2022, we’ve brought together over 60 partners to support UK families and communities with essential playing resources such as toys, arts & crafts and sports items. This year, we’re taking it to the next level!

Our goal is to support 1 million children & young people in the UK to get what they need to feel confident, valued, and ready for life’s opportunities.

Whether through donating products, funding support, partnership or raising awareness, every action helps charities deliver play, learning and brighter childhoods to the children who need them most.

Because behind every grown up, there’s a childhood that mattered.

If you’re a charitable organisation and want to access products to support play in your community, join our network today.

Browse Joy of Play products

If you're a company and have products to donate to support Joy of Play, follow the link below:

Donate products

Hear from our network of charitable organisations who support many families across the UK:

We stocked up on toilet paper […] While it may not be as exciting as paint or glitter, it plays a starring role behind the scenes in keeping our creative hub comfortable and dignified for everyone.

We like to say that creativity flows much better when the basics are covered. Having these essentials provided means we can direct more of our limited funds towards art materials and workshop delivery, directly benefiting our community.

– WE RESTART Charity and the young artists from our ArtVentures club

At T D Seminary, we operate a nursery, and the Orchard Toys Alphabet Flashcards have been a brilliant resource for our early years sessions. The children use them during group learning and one to one activities, and they’ve really helped build early literacy skills in a fun and engaging way. The children absolutely love them.

“The Orchard Toys Alphabet Flashcards have made a wonderful difference in our nursery. They’ve helped our young children develop confidence with letters and early reading through play based learning. We’re very grateful for this donation and it has had a genuinely positive impact on our children.”

– T D SEMINARY

We are really grateful to have received the Mattel prize. This will be primarily used to support our youngest children with their imaginative play, fine motor development and building language skills and cooperative play. However, all of our pre-schoolers will have opportunities to access and benefit from playing with this amazing bit of kit!

As you can see, unboxing our gift was an exciting part of our day too with lots of speculation about what might be inside and squeals of “Thomas!!” when they recognised it was Thomas the Tank Engine!

– Purley Pre-school

The boys really enjoyed the water activities with the water blasters. The slime (Elmers gu) was a major hit and especially brilliant for the children with sensory processing issues. We added glitter and little beads and stuff to it. This might sound interesting but we made fake snow out of the powder found inside the nappies. It’s as easy as cutting open the nappies and emptying the powder into a bowl and adding water. It’s way cheaper than buying fake snow (thanks to In Kind Direct!) and it’s a really fun activity. It’s a great sensory activity too and it kept the kids very occupied.

-Treasured Moments

Why does play matter in your community? Share your story with us, and we'll reshare it with our wider audience to celebrate the importance of play.

Get in touch

Need ideas for free activities to keep kids entertained this summer?

Check out these helpful resources:

Make Time 2 Play (MT2P) celebrates the power of play in supporting children’s development, learning and wellbeing. Built on the belief that play is not a luxury, but an essential part of childhood, MT2P inspires parents, teachers and carers to use everyday moments as opportunities for play.

To support the inclusion of play in busy lives, MT2P has created a free app packed with over 400 play ideas for inspiration, available on both Apple and Android. The app is designed to offer simple, practical activities that fit seamlessly into daily routines and use materials you likely already have access to.

Whether you need a quick five‑minute activity or inspiration for an afternoon of fun, the MT2P app supports you to create playful moments that matter, building skills, confidence and joyful connections through play.

Follow them on Instagram @maketimetoplay and download the free Make Time 2 Play app today!

We know many families across the UK will be getting ready for the Back-to-School season.  We understand that this time of year can be both exciting and challenging, especially as the costs of essentials such as school supplies and uniforms continue to rise.

We’ve gathered a list of UK organisations and resources that are dedicated to providing support for back-to-school needs, ensuring that every child can start the school year with confidence.

UK wide
• Turn 2 Us – information for parents with school-aged children, who might be able to access financial support with back-to-school costs.
• Citizens Advice – information for families on low incomes about how to get help with some of the costs of sending your child to school, including school meals, transport and uniform.

Children in Wales whose families are on lower incomes and qualify for certain benefits can apply for a School Essentials Grant.

If you live in Scotland, you may be able to get financial help with your child’s school clothing and shoes. This help is called a ‘school clothing grant’. You apply to your local council.

For families in Northern Ireland, you can find information on Free School Meals and Uniform Grant eligibility and how to apply for support here.

• Young Minds offers information on supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing as returning to school after the summer can be an overwhelming time for some families.

• Young Minds also provide practical tips and tools to help pupils, schools, parents and carers to manage changes and transitions throughout their time at school.

A child smiling whilst playing with LEGO bricks on a play mat with friends