Play Period: A board game explaining concept of periods to students

When two friends created ‘Play Period’ their aim was to help girls understand periods in a friendly and fear-free way

Mumbai: In a classroom in Ratnagiri, a group of young girls sit around a colourful board game. They throw the dice, move their pieces, read cards aloud, amid laughter, curiosity, and questions, this might seem like a regular game hour but it isn’t. The board game, while fun and entertaining, is called ‘Play Period’ and teaches students about menstruation.

Play Period: A board game explaining concept of periods to students

The game’s designers, Kavita Sawant and Divya Subramanyam, both 37, are trained architects from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, Juhu. However, their concern for social issues pushed them beyond buildings and design to address a topic that is often ignored, misunderstood or shrouded in shame. When the two friends created ‘Play Period’ their aim was to help girls understand periods in a friendly and fear-free way.

Sawant said, “Many girls in India reach puberty without knowing what menstruation is. According to UNICEF, nearly 70% of adolescent girls in India are unaware of menstruation until they experience it for the first time. This lack of information creates fear, confusion and health problems. So we felt that giving them correct information early, in a joyful way, could change this.” She added that girls should not feel scared or ashamed of their bodies. “The best way to teach them is to talk openly and make learning fun,” said Sawant.

According to the duo, they came up with the idea for Play Period while working on sustainable development projects. Sawant studied urban architecture and later taught at Pillai college in Chembur, while Subramanyam pursued higher studies and completed her PhD at the IIT Bombay. Through fellowships and fieldwork, they realised that smaller towns and tier three and four cities needed more attention when it came to health education and sustainable development.

Initially, they thought of working on toilet infrastructure, but their plans fell through. Instead, they noticed a bigger problem. Even when sanitation facilities exist, girls do not have the right knowledge about their bodies, hygiene and menstruation. That is when they came up with the idea of making a game that could teach girls about periods.

Play Period was developed with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. Since its conception in 2023, Sawant and Subramanyam worked to first design the game and then start using it in community workshops in Ratnagiri, where over 400 students have benefitted from it.

Highlighting the board game’s unique aspects, Sawant said, “Unlike most mobile apps available in the market, Play Period does not focus only on tracking menstrual dates or warning about physical pain. It goes much deeper. The game talks about hormones, body changes, hygienic practices, social myths and even the environmental impact (of periods and menstrual products). It does so without using the internet or smartphones, making it easy to use in schools with limited resources.”

Students have responded to the new board game with excitement. Sadhana Parihar, a nine-year-old student of Damale school in Ratnagiri who attended a school workshop said, “Play Period was so much fun. This is the first time I have come across a school event where we were made to play a board game, we enjoyed the game and also learnt so many things. Periods are fun. Can I take this game home?”

The creators are now working to expand the project. Sawant said, “An app version is being developed and efforts are on to take the learning game to policy level. A software patent has also been filed to protect the idea.”

While enjoyable and instructive to students, the game has also helped parents unlearn myths around menstruation. After Mamata Devi, a 36-year-old mother of two daughters who are both approaching puberty, attended a workshop in Ratnagiri about Period Play, she said, “Several of my menstruation myths were disproved in the workshop. I was made to believe that if I watered plants during my periods, I would end up killing them. I will make sure that such myths don’t get passed on to my daughters.”

While speaking to HT about the initiative, Fatima Aziz Kader, assistant professor, department of foods, nutrition and dietetics, at the College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan (Autonomous) said, “Play Period is cost effective and can reach the remotest village as it doesn’t require an internet connection. The unique feature of this game is that it encourages discussion around menstruation in a socio-culturally acceptable form, building confidence in rural adolescents to be comfortable to speak about their reproductive health.”

Kader, a researcher in nutrition and women’s health, added that the high prevalence of anemia and undernutrition in Indian women aged 18 to 49 years as reported by the Nation Family Health Survey - 5 (2019-2021) requires awareness and empowerment in the area of Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Menstrual Hygiene and Health Management as they are integral factors related to the overall Health and well-being of Women.