It’s all about the kids at the Langley Events Centre on Friday (today).

The Lower Mainland Toy and Product Fair is taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the concourse for parents to find toys and personalized gifts not found by shopping commercially. There are 50 vendors and proceeds benefit the Langley Child Development Centre.

At the same time, the Township is hosting a Try It event where hundreds of children are expected to come to try out different sports to see if they have an interest. Last year, more than 1,000 children and parents showed up and sports groups noticed their registration numbers increase.

The whole day is focused on kids, as municipal leaders from across the province are in Langley for the Cities For Children two-day conference.

Keeping kids in mind when doing city planning is the key to increasing livability, said Joy Wilson, co-ordinator of the Langley Child Development Centre, who helped organize the conference coming to Langley.

She is giving leaders a tour of Langley’s child-friendly place from the Walnut Grove Recreational Centre and Aldor Acres to Parklane’s Bedford Landing.

“Planners are community leaders who aren’t always tuned into kids’ needs. When planning land use, we want them to think of children and their social livability,” Wilson said.

Considering that Langley is expected to have one of the highest amounts of children per capita in 30 years, it behooves Township planners to keep kids in their focus, said Councillor Jordan Bateman, who also helped bring the conference to Langley. He has two young children and another on the way, so he has a vested interest in making sure Langley is livable for children.

“We need more whimsy in our parks,” he said. “When I was in elementary school, our favourite spot wasn’t the playground equipment but a large rock we would all fight over to climb. Sometimes it can be as easy as leaving a rock or a climbing tree in place when creating a neighbourhood or park.”

Surrey has an early childhood development department within its city hall, said Wilson.

Bateman said the conference is a way to get all community leaders thinking differently and including children in their planning for the future. An example of a community built without children in mind is Aldergrove, they said.

Langley MLA Mary Polak, minister of children and families, will speak at the event as well.