UN agencies UNESCO and UNICEF, with support from the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, have launched a campaign called ‘Winning Indoors’ for children and their families to find fun ways to stay happy and healthy while at home.

‘Winning Indoors’ is a collection of indoor game ideas created by children and young people and shared on a purpose-built website for children, the organizers said in a press release on Thursday.

The social media campaign encourages children to create indoor games and submit their ideas for games to be featured on the website.

“No one does fun and games better than children,” said Michael Croft, UNESCO representative to Vietnam.

“’Winning Indoors’ provides a platform to showcase the imagination and creativity of children to foster a healthy lifestyle, even when stuck at home.

“Together with UNICEF, UNESCO is delighted to give active play at home the attention it deserves.”

Playing outdoors is challenging for many children due to poor air quality, lack of facilities, and bad weather.

These challenges have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic with physical distancing measures, restrictions on movement, school closures, and confinement.

‘Winning Indoors’ aims to inspire children to be active through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond by playing and creating fun, active, and inclusive indoor games.

“Measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 have inadvertently caused stress and affected the emotional well-being of children,” said Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to Vietnam.

“Play is one of the most important ways by which young children cope with stress and gain essential knowledge and skills.

“All parents and caregivers are encouraged to spend time playing with children, encouraging them to be creative and to design their own games.

“Engaging in play is one of the most important interactions you can have with your child – make time and enjoy.”

Several Vietnamese celebrities and influencers including Chau Bui, H’Hen Nie, Quang Dang, and Suboi are lending their voices to support the campaign by amplifying the messages to encourage children to participate in the ‘Winning Indoors’ campaign.

The campaign will run until September and its organizers hope to gather hundreds of game idea submissions through the website.

People can follow UNICEF or UNESCO social media accounts in Vietnam, or visit the website www.winningindoors.com to submit games or to try new games created by other users.

The more people participate and submit game ideas, the richer the collection will be.

Through the participatory approach, ‘Winning Indoors’ aims to inspire young Vietnamese to be physically active indoors with their families for their well-being while preventing the coronavirus spread.

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