What if the most powerful prescription for pediatric patients was play?
Play isn’t just silly, it’s essential. It brings laughter and ease to children facing challenging moments of fear and confusion, and the families and healthcare teams walking alongside them.
Play can turn a hospital room into a game room.
A long day into a lighter one.
A moment of fear into a moment that says, “you’re still a kid!”
At Project Sunshine, we focus on bringing the healing power of play to kids in medical settings. And the reality is that play benefits everyone, from the young to young at heart.
Everyone needs more play in their day to day. Kids need it, families lean on it, and healthcare teams feel its impact in ways that stretch far beyond a single laugh (though those laughs are pretty great).
In 2026, Project Sunshine is showing that play is essential, especially in pediatric care.
Play Helps Children Heal & Supports the People Who Care for Them
Research shows that play helps reduce stress and anxiety in hospitalized children and supports healthy emotional, social, and cognitive development, even in clinical environments. In short, when kids get to play, they get to be kids. They feel stronger. Braver. More like themselves.
Through play, children get to make choices when so much feels decided for them. They get to imagine, create, and experiment. They get to be curious instead of cautious, silly instead of scared.
The magic of play helps the adults around them, too.
Hospital staff - from nurses, physicians, child life specialists, social workers—are under enormous strain. Burnout in pediatric healthcare is real, and it affects not only staff, but the children and families they serve.
When play enters the picture, everything is better. Shoulders drop. Smiles sneak in. Conversations flow more easily. Kids feel calmer and more engaged, which often means procedures go more smoothly and stress levels drop for everyone involved.
Play is a quiet but powerful partner in care delivery.
Powered by People Who Believe in Play
For Project Sunshine, our goal is simple and ambitious: bring play to more children, in more places, more often.
Volunteers, donors and partners make it possible to scale those moments of joy—so play can reach children who need it most.
Here are some ways we’re going to play more in 2026:
- June Play-a-thon. As part of our annual Summer Solstice celebration to mark the Longest Day of Play on June 21, we will be launching our first Play-A-Thon with ways everyone can get involved all month long. So mark your calendar and help us bring the most play to kids around the world.
- New Partnerships. Last year, we added new partners including NFL players Dalton Risner and Femi Oladejo through Athletes for Hope, Snack Bag Dad, Minnesota Zoo and medical facilities like ChristianaCare and the University of Minnesota Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic. We look forward to even more play-focused partners in 2026.
- Volunteer to Play! From kit-packing parties to virtual play experiences, volunteers make a huge difference—and have just as much fun as the kids they serve.
However you choose to get involved, know this: play matters. And together, we can make 2026 the year it truly takes center stage.
