Nickelodeon is celebrating kids’ love of play with three “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” events. The network visited San Diego, Calif. (June 30- July 2); Detroit, Mich. (July 30-Aug. 1); and a will visit a third city (Sept. 3-5) to be chosen by kids themselves via an online contest. The summer time celebration of play will culminate with Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play event on Saturday, Sept. 20, when the network goes dark and its partners host grassroots activities to celebrate play.
As a lead up to the September Worldwide Day of Play, Nickelodeon partnered with several youth focuses charity organizations to bring Nick-themed activities that encourage kids to get up and get active. These events feature fun-filled games, appearances by stars from Nickelodeon hit shows Instant Mom, (Nick stars Sydney Park and Tylen Williams golfing above) The Haunted Hathaways and The Thundermans, costumed characters and more. A special grant will be presented to a local non-profit organization.
“Through this year’s ‘Road to Worldwide Day of Play’ initiative, we are putting kids’ front and center by celebrating all of the ways they love to play and stay active,” said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Administration, Nickelodeon Group. “We are working in tandem with our many national and local partners to go into communities to empower kids and their families to adopt more active lifestyles.”
Children got chance to play golf at “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” on July 1, 2014 when Nickelodeon teamed-up with Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego for a fun filled day on the course with stars from the Nickelodeon hit series Instant Mom, Sydney Park and Tylen Williams.
Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego is the cities’ top non-profit youth development program which teaches character development and life-skills, through education and the game of golf.
Nickelodeon also teamed-up various youth development organizations including Jackie Robinson YMCA; USA BMX; the Sports Training, Academics & Recreation/Police Athletic League (STAR/PAL); the San Diego Padres; the Salvation Army Kroc Center; and Youth and Leaders Living Actively (YALLA) for various events. Nickelodeon’s stars made appearances at select events.
Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s ongoing health and wellness efforts and continues the network’s legacy of promoting positive messages to its viewers. In addition to hosting its flagship event, on Sept 20, Nickelodeon will once again suspend programming from 12p.m. to 3p.m. in order to encourage kids to go outside and get active.
United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a presenting sponsor of Nickelodeon’s 11th annual Worldwide Day of Play. The USTA will hold youth tennis demonstrations taking place in “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” cities, creating a “hands-on” opportunity for families to experience tennis. Kids are learning the game through USTA’s youth initiative which is geared towards getting more kids to participate in tennis using equipment and courts tailored to a child’s size.
Kids and families can also visit http://www.nick.com/play to find photos and videos from “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” events, get tips on the best ways to play and access toolkits to help plan their own Worldwide Day of Play activities.
IMAGES: ROBERT BENSON/GETTY IMAGES FOR NICKELODEON
