Celebrating Youth Day in Tshepisong to show the importance of playing
Children are encouraged to also learn through playing this Youth Day.
To celebrate Youth Day, SmartStart and local implementing partner Lima Rural Development Foundation are hosting two sports day events – one in Tshepisong, Soweto on June 17 and the other in Soshanguve on the 16th.
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Children aged between three and five will have the opportunity to take part in various sporting activities, including bean bag races, aerobics, soccer, tennis, hula hooping and more.
Local ward councillors, early childhood development principals, and motivational speakers will be giving talks and sharing information about the importance of play in early learning.
“The main goal of these events is to bring communities together for a day of fun, and to inform parents about the role of sport and physical activity in childhood development in a practical way.
“Formal schooling places a lot of emphasis on academic readiness, but in the context of young children, play is learning – whether it’s with toys in a classroom, or a soccer ball on a playground,” says Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart.
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Just under 54% of early learning centres across the country allocate less than 30 minutes of free play per day, according to a census report conducted by the Department of Basic Education.
When it comes to free play outdoors, 45% allow less than 30 minutes a day. The report also highlighted the need to do more in terms of changing the mindsets of practitioners and parents, and providing suitable materials and opportunities for play and learning.
“Our message to parents, caregivers, and early learning practitioners this Youth Month is to let children play, in order for them to succeed later on in life,” says Matlhape.
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Evidence shows that playful learning approaches in the early years improve academic performance and unlock skills that children can apply to more complex tasks throughout their lives. Besides the essential learning aspect of play, it also provides an important psychosocial function.
Matlhape adds, “Children use play to make sense of the world and process their experiences in meaningful ways. We don’t want our children to grow up too fast, we want them to have a childhood they can look back on fondly – and play is key to this.”
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