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Think about the children

 

Children should be allowed to play in a safe   environmentMohau Serabele

Roma

The pacey life and ever-increasing workloads are keeping most parents so busy they do not have much time to spend with their children, let alone play games with them.

Instead of coming home to rest and have quality time with their children, most people continue to work at home, making “last-time” touches to the all-important report due to be tabled before a crucial meeting the following day.

The prank made by a child at the sight of his or her parent, the endless questioning and laughter of a toddler seeking attention are ignored thoughtlessly because the parent needs time to concentrate on his or her work . In fact, most people have become so busy they cannot even remember the last time they had a proper conversation with their children.

Last Thursday, the Liphakoeng Primary School playground was a hive of activity as students and their teachers converged to commemorate World Play Day.

World Play Day is celebrated annually on 28 May and brings children and adults together as they interact through various activities in their own environment or even workplaces.

Lesotho’s edition of World Play Day was organised by a non-governmental organisation by the name Bahlabani Initiative.

According Phomolo Mosaase, Events Organiser at Bahlabani Initiative, this was the first time the event was being commemorated in the country.

According to Mosaase, the event seeks to highlight the importance of having fun among children, while also promoting the children’s right to play.

“Our activities, in this event, are largely informed by Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child which indicates that children have the right to play.”

Mosaase further noted the issue of “play” had been ignored for a long time in Lesotho, hence Thursday’s activities.

“In many cases, parents don’t have the time to play and have fun with their children because of work-related commitments,” Mosaase said.

Yet the event at Liphakoeng was fascinating as it was an eye-opener to many, as students and their teachers could be seen playing football and traditional games such as moraba-raba, liketo and khati, together.

Traditionally, liketo and khati are played by Basotho women and girls, yet at Liphakoeng on Thursday, it was a free-for-all.

“The games were played in a non-competitive spirit. The primary motive was just to bring both children and adults together in a spirit of fun,” Mosaase said.

According to Mosaase, most adults have become so absorbed in their work-related commitments they no longer see the child or young person within them.

“Yet by playing together here, the teachers are given the rare opportunity to rediscover and explore the abilities of the child within themselves. Some of the teachers and adults here stopped playing these games a long time ago in their youth. We are giving them the change to recall their old days and the fun they used to have.”

Although the games played last Thursday are well-known traditional activities, they were specially designed to challenge and stimulate the senses of those taking part. Rules of the games such as moraba-raba were set in a way which required the participants to apply their analytical abilities.

“We have organised our games so that they can appeal to the five senses of those who are taking part in them; they are not just challenged physically but also mentally,” Mosaase said.

Mosaase added the games would provide teachers with skills to incorporate play into their lessons. “We know that children learn best through playing and interaction with their environment and we hope that the games we are having today will inspire teachers to find ways to involve playing as a teaching method in their classes.”

Meanwhile, the chairperson of Bahlabani Initiative, Dr Itumeleng Kimane told the Sunday Express that World Play Day was not just about having fun.

“This is more than just playing; we are also using these games to help children develop interpersonal skills so that they can relate well with each other,” she said.

According to Dr Kimane, everyone was expected to abide by the rules of the games to ensure discipline.

“This will help them learn to work with others and abide by rules that are found within their communities,” Dr Kimane said.

Lamenting parents’ busy lives, Dr Kimane said this was not good for families.

“World Play Day is meant to promote interaction between parents and their children. The idea is to try and bridge the gap that seems to be growing between parents and their children. People should find and make time to play with their children. This can be done in any available space for as long as it is a safe environment for the children,” she said.

Dr Kimane also noted World Play Day would now be commemorated annually in Lesotho.

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