Good Cause Campaigns

Our Let’s Play for Change campaign

With our IKEA Let’s Play for Change campaign, we want to show people that play is a basic need rather than a luxury. Play is vital, not just for kids, but for all of us. Why? Because when we spark play, we connect, create, recharge, escape and explore.

During the campaign, our stores are extra playful places to be. Because we want you to play more, to see how light and simple activities make everyday life more playful.

We hope you’ll join us in getting lost in the joy of play, and that you’ll find out how simple it is to carry on the fun at home.
 

We know play

We’re real play geeks, having studied, examined and analysed what makes play happen, what gets in its way and how different cultures do it. We published our latest findings as the IKEA Play Report ’17 which, combined with our two previous Play Reports, represents the world’s largest body of research on play.

We’ve also created a mini guide including fun activities to do with your kids, to inspire you to play more at home. Because play is vital for all of us, we want to show people that, no matter who you are, it’s easy for everyone to spark it everywhere, every day.

>> See the Mini Play Guide
>> Dive into the full Play Report ’17
 

Kids play – a fundamental right, a basic need

Play helps us develop important skills such as teamwork, risk taking and resilience to stress. It is so vital that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that every child has a right to play. Yet millions of children across the world are denied their fundamental right to play and develop in a safe, secure environment.

Through our Let’s Play for Change campaign, the IKEA Foundation has partnered with six leading organisations – Handicap International, Room to Read, Save the Children, Special Olympics, UNICEF and War Child – to provide even the most vulnerable children with safe places where they can play, develop and simply enjoy being kids. Thanks to their work, 150,000 children are now enjoying their right to play.

>> Read more about the IKEA Foundation and its partners
 

Our Soft toy drawing competition and SAGOSKATT – it all goes to charity

Designed by kids to help other kids, the cute, cuddly SAGOSKATT soft toy collection is back. This family of funny friends is the definition of play with a purpose: the full purchase price of each SAGOSKATT soft toy is donated to local charities in order to support every child’s right to play and to develop.

This year’s collection consists of a pink unicorn living in the clouds; a rainbow-coloured shark travelling the seas; a mischievous blue monster; a hedgehog/dinosaur/monster hybrid who loves tropical fruit; and a spotty seal who plays with a little fish.

>> See this year’s cuddly toys

The IWitness Global Citizens program

This program gives IKEA co-workers a chance to see first-hand how the money raised through IKEA Good Cause campaigns contributes to a better life for children in the world’s poorest communities. Co-workers visit various projects run by IKEA Foundation partners, and share their experiences on IKEA Foundations’ Global Citizens blog.

>> blog.ikeafoundation.org