Ana İçerik

This year, we held our panel for the "17th Anniversary" of our World Play Day events, dedicated to the memory of our doyen professor, Prof. Dr. Ayla OKTAY. We will always remember her for her invaluable contributions to the field of Early Childhood Education in Türkiye, and she has always stood by us with her precious support in celebrating and popularizing World Play Day in our country.

Believing that early childhood games are critical in a child's life—specifically in acquiring executive function skills through attention in play and integrating them into daily life—an online panel was held on June 12, 2026, under the theme "Play as an Executive Function Skill: Board Games." The panel was chaired by Prof. Dr. Asude BALABAN DAĞAL from our department.

During the panel, presentations were delivered by:

• Prof. Dr. Asude BALABAN DAĞAL

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Hande ARSLAN-ÇİFTÇİ

• Dr. Saime ÇAĞLAK SARI

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Işık KAMARAJ

The event, where participants shared their insights on play and executive function skills, was attended by 42 listeners. The coordination of World Play Day in Türkiye has been carried out for seventeen years by Assist. Prof. Dr. Işık KAMARAJ from our Department of Early Childhood Education. We hope this event continues to be celebrated in Türkiye and around the world for many years to come...

Happy May 28th World Play Day and June 11th International Day of Play!