By Kearabetswe Nkadimeng and Onele Ramba
In a cramped shack behind Sun City nursery school’s swings, 12 mothers sit in a circle laughing as their toddlers explore handmade toys on dusty floors. They’re learning something profound: that playing with children can change everything.
Research shows that the first 1 000 days of a child’s life are critical for brain development and language acquisition. Young children require an environment rich in language and emotional responsiveness marked by love, affection and interaction, an environment Lebone Centre strives to achieve through its Playmat Project, which supports both mothers and children.
The simple act of playing with a child, singing to them, cuddling or even just talking with them marks the beginning of their journey toward meaningful reading and learning.
On a hot Monday afternoon, Kaylynne Rushin and Akia Lucas, the hearts behind the Playmat sessions, enthusiastically get ready, carrying their coffee gear, biscuits, and their handmade toys into the boot of the Lebone Centre car.
Ten minutes later, they step into the Sun City nursery school and head straight to the maroon shack behind the children’s swings where the sessions took place. It looks like a storage space, but there is just enough room and chairs to accommodate the 12 mothers and their kids. Rushin and Lucas set up the venue and wait for the mothers to arrive.
“Playing with your child doesn’t need to be expensive; it’s all about the bond and the skills they gain from it,” Rushin says taking out the handmade toys made from waste. Each item plays a different role in a child’s mental development. Rushin shows us the plastic ball and picture book made from cereal boxes and magazine pictures. They taught the parents to make so they could play with their kids at home.
The two conductors received two weeks’ worth of training from the KZN-based Dlalanathi “Play with us” NPO and the Ubunye Foundation in Makhanda. They are also empowered with the social skills to handle the sessions. “We have sessions where we talk to the mothers; sometimes it gets emotional,” says Rushin. “But today we’re going to play with them and then have a Q&A session afterwards.”
As the session begins, the toddlers are left moving freely through the space, happily playing with their toys on the dusty floors, while the 12 parents engage. Laughs echo through the room as the mothers run, play, sing and dance. As they enjoy these moments, they are encouraged to create the same atmosphere with their children at home.
“The program has helped me love my child,” says Olwethu Mphofu, a mother surrounded by many struggles in her community, household and personal life. The advice and encouragement she derives from the sessions help her sustain an environment of love and support for her child. “In the next 15 years, I will see my child at Rhodes,” she says.
As the game session ends, the parents sit in a circle and take turns expressing profound gratitude for the programme over biscuits and coffee. Laurene Jackson testifies: “My daughter struggled with her development; she couldn’t speak properly, and then there was a stage where she couldn’t walk. But then we joined the program and everything got better. She started walking, started growing. Now she is five and she can count to 100.“
“At home, when I sometimes struggle with something, she’s the one encouraging me. That’s why I say she’s intelligent,” exclaims another mother.
They marvel at how their children are very clever for their age, how their bond has increased and how they see a great future for their children.
The Lebone Centre continues to make do with what little they have, making toys out of recycled materials, while fondly remembering the infrequent times when funding allowed them to buy “proper” toys and necessities.
When you support a mother, you support her child. Children become better learners when mothers are helped to connect and engage with their children in loving and meaningful ways. The Lebone Centre Playmat sessions help every parent discover that just a little love, attention, care and support can make a world of difference in their child’s life.
