Play time is considered one of the important moments in the relationship between a child and their parent, as well as during the child’s development. Despite most parents neglecting this, child development specialists and educationists say it is a vital step during the child’s infancy and plays a critical part in bonding the relation with a child, as well as mental development. Playful parenting is also valued, because it is the first activity introduced to a child during birth. When a baby is born, apart from clothes, they are also bought different toys, balls and other playful materials; hence parents have to use this path to socialise with their children. Yonah Nyundo, an education officer at UNICEF Rwanda is of the view that play time is the only moment a parent is able to tap into the real life of a child. “Through play, a parent is able to really tap into the child, socialise with them and convey all the messages they want to pass,” he says. “It connects them with their children, because children learn and mature through play. Hence, it establishes a bond between parents and children that lasts throughout their lives,” he stresses. Playing also opens doors to values, adds Nyundo, and that it assists with problem solving while increasing the communication between the child and parent, and demonstrating to a parent how best to tackle their child’s problems. This is why parents and caregivers’ involvement and presence in the child’s world of play is essential. Playful learning Educationists not only stress the importance of playing for the child’s relationship with the parents, but for learning as well since it is one of the first commitments a 21st century toddler is subjected upon. Nyundo clarifies that children learn and mature through play; hence caregivers and parents in general need to link their plays with what children are learning at school. “If a child is studying how to count, why not use mangoes or bananas to make the learning process so interesting. This boosts the physiological and psychological motif of learning,” asserts Nyundo. Lucky Nizeyimana, a parent of a 4-year-old daughter also testifies to greater relationships that are created through play. “Since I started socialising and playing with my child, she started becoming open and sharing with me some of her favourite things as well as challenges in class and at home,” he recalls. Nizeyimana says he has learnt that whenever you don’t give your kids time, they won’t also reserve time for you. He is also of the view that play time is one of the easiest things possible, as it does not require preparations. “Some parents think it’s wastage of time or think they do not have time to do so, but it doesn’t require much and playing doesn’t have an age limit, anyone can play,” he says. Dr Jack Shonkoff, a paediatrician and professor of child health and development at Harvard University explains the most important thing a parent can do to support their childs brain development, is to get to know that young child; get to be able to read that child’s cues, and engage in what we call “serve and return” interaction. Serve and return is just like play, he explains: A baby serves a smile, a coo, a babble, a gesture, and the parent or other adult caring for that child returns a response that is connecting to what the baby did. Baby makes a sound; you make the same sound back. A baby points to something; you look at that and point at it yourself. That’s the key. It goes both ways. The baby can start it. The parent can start it. The key is how you respond.
