Last month, Edward Street hosted our 13th Annual Day of Play Family Festival at Worcester's Elm Park. Our festival included more than 60 activities and main stage performances. Focused on teaching children essential life skills, these showcased the power of play for learning.
This year's festival may have been our biggest and best to date, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers, community partners, and many others. Read on to relive this year's festival and find out why you should attend next year.
'I Was So Grateful to Have Time to Talk to So Many Children (and Grown-Ups)'
Thousands of attendees joined us on a sunny, warm September afternoon to enjoy our Day of Play. Here, we offered activities across seven play areas:
- Active Play
- Creative Arts Play
- Construction Play
- Health & Wellness Play
- Mindfulness Play
- Reading Play
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Play
Our activities were thoughtfully designed to encourage children to develop their imagination, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills through play. They also showed parents new ways to engage their child’s drive to explore, craft, and experiment as they learn at home.
"At every station there were activities that could be simplified for the littlest kids," said Natalie Davis Bauer, a parent who brought her daughter to the Day of Play. "I could see children of all ages make connections with cause and effect and get even more curious and expand their play based on that curiosity."
For example, in the Mindfulness Play area, children could enjoy a "Rock Your Emotions" activity. Kids could decorate rocks with their emotions. When they were done, they could carry their rocks with them to remind them that their emotions are welcome and natural and that we all have them.
Also in the Mindfulness Play area, children could make their own "Heart Stuffies." These gave kids opportunities to express their emotions creatively and learn to love and care for themselves.
"What really touched me was the look on the children's faces after they made their 'Heart Stuffies," said Wendy O'Leary, a Day of Play volunteer and Edward Street board member. "They hugged their new stuffie and said I love you to themselves. I was so grateful to have time to talk to so many children (and grown-ups) about taking good care of their hearts."
In the Creative Arts area, children could make self-portrait puppets. To get started, kids would look in the mirror. From here, they would let their creative juices flow as they made puppets in their own image.
"One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing children's faces brighten when we held up the mirror and asked, 'Would you like to make a puppet that looks like this?' Beautiful reactions!," Karen O'Neill, a Day of Play volunteer and Edward Street board member, pointed out.
'A Critical Reminder of the Power of Play in Child Development'
With our Day of Play passport, we gave attendees yet another fun opportunity to explore every play area. Attendees could collect stamps when they visited an activity in each play area and have their passports stamped along the way. As they did, they could see and experience the many ways that kids can learn through play.
In addition to our play areas and activities, we hosted live performances from local musicians, comedians, and others at our Day of Play. These included a Community Read Along with Pete the Cat by Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez and three multilingual readers.
"[It] is more than just a fun event — it's a critical reminder of the power of play in child development," said Patty Sinclair, Manager of Education & Curriculum at childcare provider Bright Horizons. "Families come together to connect, share, and build a support system that helps all kids thrive."
Thanks for the Memories!
Our Day of Play was a resounding success — and we couldn't have done it without the contributions of many individuals and organizations. We recognize and thank the following Day of Play contributors:
Presenting Sponsors
- Edward Street
- The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
- The City of Worcester
- Worcester Family Partnership
Play Area Sponsor
- The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation
Activity Sponsors
- Abbvie
- Guild of St. Agnes Early Education & Care
- Mass Cultural Council
- Tufts Health Plan
- Wegmans
Contributing Sponsors
- Berkshire Bank
- Boys & Girls Club of Worcester
- Country Bank
- Eastern Bank
- Rainbow Child Development Center
Supporters
- Cornerstone Bank
- Middlesex Savings Bank
- Open Sky Community Services
- Price Chopper/Market 32
- Webster Five
- YWCA of Central Massachusetts
Planning Committee
- Sandy Amoakohene, Worcester Division of Public Health
- Darlene Belliveau, YWCA of Central MA
- Fela De Los Santos, Worcester Family Partnership
- Jackie Hastings, Worcester Family Partnership
- Linda Jackson, Worcester Family Partnership
- Karen O'Neill, Quinsigamond Community College
- Sofia Perno, YWCA of Central MA
- Laura Polanco, Worcester Family Partnership
- Carlene Sherbourne, Worcester Child Development Head Start
- Gloria Sinclair, Worcester Comprehensive Education & Care
- Beth Vietze, Worcester Family Partnership
- Karen Waters, Worcester Child Development Head Start
We would also like to extend a special thank you to Superintendent Monárrez and our multilingual readers for their help with our Community Read Along with Pete the Cat:
- Dr. Rachel Monárrez
- Ameera Almandiwi (Arabic)
- Gina Landrin (Haitian Creole)
- Deborah Gonzalez (Spanish)
- Lexia Johnstone (Pete the Cat) - Burncoat Middle School student
See You Next Year!
Planning for the 2025 Day of Play is underway — stay tuned for more details. In the meantime:
- Contact us if you'd like to get involved in next year's Day of Play.
- Sign up for our mailing list to receive our monthly Day of Play newsletter featuring fun and family-friendly activities.
- Make a donation to help us take our next Day of Play to new heights.
Along with these things, read our blog and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more about our local early childhood programs and initiatives.