With makeshift jump ropes and hide and seek, kids play to cope with crisis

"In a refugee camp in Bangladesh, children jump rope with chains of rubber bands. In wartime Gaza, kids fly kites made from discarded parachutes. And in Ukraine, youngsters tussle in make-believe war, imitating soldiers as the real conflict rages on. These are some of the ways that children continue to create, imagine and seek joy even in the harshest circumstances. For them, play is not a simple pastime but a lifeline."

"Child psychologists say it helps them manage stress, express their emotions and regain a sense of control and normalcy when there's little safety and stability. "It helped remove our sadness," says 12-year-old Asma Bibi, who lives in a Rohingya refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. She spoke in Rohingya and her interview was translated. Bibi says her father and brother were both killed in their home country of Myanmar, where they were targets of ethnic cleansing."

Children in conflict zones invent play with whatever is available—chains of rubber bands in Bangladeshi refugee camps, kites from discarded parachutes in Gaza, and make-believe soldier games in Ukraine. Play functions as a lifeline that helps children manage stress, express emotions, and regain control and normalcy amid danger and instability. A 12‑year‑old Rohingya girl credited a small colorful playroom with easing her sadness after family members were killed. Historical and recent examples—Candy Land's polio‑ward origins, an underground amusement park in wartime Syria, and play among Nigerian children bereaved by Boko Haram—underscore play's enduring role in resilience during crises.

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