Playful Perceptions: The Role of and Barriers to Play for Parents of Young Children in Diverse Global Contexts by Kim Foulds
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Members of the SAFE Infant Feeding Team were recently introduced to this article through discussions within the Children and Disasters Subcommittee of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) Mass Care Committee. The piece explores how parents of young children support their children’s emotional wellbeing during crisis and how simple activities like play help children process stressful events.
We strongly encourage readers to explore the full piece. It highlights research and perspectives from multiple humanitarian settings and offers important insights into how young children experience disasters — and how caregivers help them make sense of those experiences.
For those of us working in infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E), the article reinforces something we see repeatedly in disaster response: young children depend on caregivers not only for food and safety, but also for emotional stability and connection.
Feeding, comforting, playing, and responding to children’s cues are all part of how parents help young children regulate stress during crisis. When disasters disrupt routines, housing, sanitation systems, and support networks, families must often navigate these challenges while still meeting their children’s most basic developmental needs.
The article provides a helpful reminder that disaster response systems must consider the whole experience of young children, including nutrition, caregiving relationships, and opportunities for healthy interaction.
Our connection to this work grew out of the Children and Disasters Subcommittee of the VOAD Mass Care Committee, where organizations working across the disaster response sector are beginning to collaborate more intentionally around the needs of infants and young children.
We are grateful to colleagues in that group for sharing this resource and helping broaden the conversation about how disaster systems can better support families with young children.