Play, Support, Care: How Child-Friendly Spaces Strengthen the Mental Health of Children and Parents

October 10 marks World Mental Health Day — a reminder that the mental well-being of both children and adults is an integral part of our overall health.

For children, mental health is reflected in their ability to play, explore, express emotions, and build relationships with others. For parents, it means being able to support their child, understand their own feelings, and maintain emotional resources for the family.

In Child-Friendly Spaces, we use a variety of approaches to strengthen mental health:

• Art therapy and drawing, helping children express feelings they cannot put into words.
• Cinema therapy, allowing them to experience emotions through stories and characters.
• Sand therapy, encouraging symbolic expression of inner experiences.
• Workshops and developmental activities that enhance creativity and social skills.
• Performances and theatre exercises that help rebuild trust, connection, and emotional openness.

Professionals at the space support both children and parents, creating an atmosphere of acceptance, safety, and care. Every game, drawing, or movement becomes a tool for healing and self-regulation.

When we say that “mental health takes the shape of play,” we emphasize that even simple actions — play, drawing, movement — help a child restore inner calm and feel alive, seen, and heard.

Today, on World Mental Health Day, Responsible Citizens NGO reminds everyone: caring for mental health builds resilience, gives strength to grow, and helps us find joy in everyday life.

Psychosocial support is provided as part of UNICEF’s project “Strengthening Community Capacity to Provide Core Protection and Resilience Services in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia Regions,” implemented by Responsible Citizens NGO with support from the Government of the United States of America.