Cotlands celebrates World Play Day by championing every child’s right to play
Play is essential for every child’s learning, development and well-being.
As the world celebrates World Play Day, Cotlands is shining a spotlight on the power of play and the importance of protecting every child’s right to access safe, inclusive and meaningful opportunities.
Through its new early childhood care and education (ECCE) hub model, Cotlands continues to raise the bar and give more vulnerable children access to quality early learning opportunities that ensure vulnerable children across South Africa can learn, grow and thrive through play.
Each ECCE hub offers the following services: Toy Library, birth-to-three parenting programme, an ECD centre, a training centre that offers ECD practitioner courses, creating a holistic ECD support service for children, parents, ECD practitioners and ECD centre owners.
“Play is essential for every child’s learning, development and well-being. Through our new ECCE hub model, we are committed to ensuring that children have access to quality play-based early learning opportunities that help unlock a child’s full potential,” says Dr Monica Stach, Cotlands chief executive officer.
This year, just over 1, 400 children focused on inclusive play and featured a variety of interactive activities, including storytelling, arts and crafts, construction play, obstacle courses, educational games, fantasy play, music and movement, relay races, and collaborative art activities.
In Macassar and surrounding communities, children participated in fun-filled play activities focused on inclusion and social connection.
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In Mpumalanga, more than 836 children and 91 ECD practitioners from 24 ECD centres in Bushbuckridge and Hazyview took part in large-scale play sessions featuring 20 activity stations designed to encourage creativity, movement, problem-solving and cooperative play.
In Mamelodi, children enjoyed educational and imaginative play experiences including puzzles, maths games, balancing activities, reading corners and make-believe play.
At its Hlabisa Toy Library in KwaZulu-Natal, they welcomed four ECD centres and grade R pupils from a nearby school, engaging a total of 122 children in a variety of fun and educational play activities. Cotlands collaborated with Wildlife Act to raise awareness about conservation, while the Hlabisa Municipality hosted engaging storytelling sessions that encouraged learning through imagination and play.
Cotlands launched its Deal for a Difference campaign, encouraging all South Africans to support early childhood development in poor communities where children have no access to any form of play, by purchasing a pack of Cotlands branded playing cards and encouraging colleagues, family and friends to play a game of cards and donate R28 per player.
To order your Deal for a Difference pack of cards, visit www.cotlands.org
