Here’s why playing with your child is important

What you need to know:

Her opinion is not only popular but, it is a way of life for many communities in Tanzania believing that playing is for children. They should play with children and, their mothers. They should not bring play to adults.

“Playing with children is a childish thing, that is what I knew,” says Magreth Shija, grandmother to two year old twins: Agripina and Aggrey says about her experience with child stimulation.

Her opinion is not only popular but, it is a way of life for many communities in Tanzania believing that playing is for children. They should play with children and, their mothers. They should not bring play to adults.

Now science raise fundamental questions on the traditionally culture that directs caregivers in Tanzania to keep children at bay (except occasionally) contented that feeding, medicating and keeping them safe is superbly enough. Caregivers are an inclusive term that includes biological parents and guardians.

According to the World Health Organisation, Early Childhood Development that include playing and communicating purposely with infants and children stimulates their brain. According to research 80 per cent of human brain develops during the first 1000 days of their lifetime. In this time one activity that children do seriously is play.

The question is do you want your child brain to develop alongside his/her physical health that they reach their potential and fulfill their dreams, probably your dreams too?

“If we need to develop our children to their fullness, we need to purposefully stimulate their brains to grow. We cannot evade or downplay playing with our children if we want to impart confidence, cognitive excellence and building personality,” says Josephine Ferla, a program manager for Malezi, a project by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation that facilitate early childhood development activities, including early stimulation.

Early stimulation becomes even more important in Tanzania that is home to estimate 1.3 million are AIDS orphans and where women’s low level of education weakens family care and educational environments for young children.

The importance of an excellent foundational knowledge and confidence for a success in later stages of education and eventually career cannot be overstated. While in Tanzania, the government has designated one year of pre-primary education compulsory, only a small minority of children under three in urban areas attend a daycare center, meaning that home is still the primary source of development for young children.

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) with funding from Conrad Hilton Foundation worked with the Ministry of Health, Community Development Gender, Elderly and Children to bring information and counselling about early child development (ECD), including child stimulation closer to caregivers at an outlet that is readily accessible to parents and children- the health facility.

“Information and counseling regarding ECD will typically only reach the family through the health systems. Pregnant mothers visit antenatal clinics, and lactating mothers visit post-natal clinics. Men also visit health facilities accompanying their partners. Therefore awareness about early stimulation at health facilities is likely reach the community and be emphasised through repeated visits, says Josephine.

Having worked in prevention of HIV from mother to their children since 2003 in Tanzania, EGPAF was positioned to observe how HIV/AIDS slowed development of children. Apart from its severity in HIV affected children the problem generalized in the population.

Malezi’s baseline study, conducted prior program implementation pointed that parents do significantly less in child stimulation particularly in playing and singing with their children.

Is it a surprise then, that there are children higher classes of primary school who lack basic literacy, language comprehension and numeracy skills?

“My children have more confidence in asking what they need and talking with me,” says Eliwaza Simon, a mother of four at Mbagala locality in Igunga.

Probably, these poor children would have known better and asked their teacher to help them, had they been brought with assertive communication environment.

Malezi, for two years, trained health care workers and community health care workers, who in turn counselled caregivers about how to stimulate their children and ECD in general.

A total of 69,260 caregivers were reached through home visits, group counselling and individual counselling at health facilities.

Endline data after two years show a story of change. That there are more locally made play materials in the households during endline 60 per cent in comparison to the baseline 24 per cent. Children are more encouraged to play with households objects such as cups whereas the improvement is at 82 per cent in comparison to 67 per cent.

Although the results at the end still trace around the baseline reflection change has taken place.

“I see that there is improvement from the feedback I get in repeat visits. Gradually, more caregivers appreciate the value of stimulation to their children,” says Fikira Abdallah, a community health worker in Tabora Municipal.

Eliwaza sits with Sarah under a cool shade of an acacia in the middle of open yard. Her house is on the left and another smaller house on the left. Her three children play with three others from the neighbourhood on a heap of sand beside the tree.

She is content that their play is not just play; it is for their good.

The author is a communications, outreach and advocacy manager at EGPAF Tanzania.