The second phase of SiyaDlala SiyaFunda has kicked off and the country is urged to prepare and participate in playdates across the country. The much-anticipated SiyaDlala SiyaFunda playdates will take place between 15th November – 20th November 2022
Photos by @wooda_magoo & @imaholicproduction
SiyaDlala SiyaFunda is a movement that highlights the importance of learning through play. Play creates an opportunity for children to learn some of life’s most essential skills. SiyaDlala SiyaFunda is a global Together for Play movement, https://www.togetherforplay.com/ , driven by the belief that play is a catalyst for economic and social progress. The movement is on a mission to create more of these experiences for children in South Africa.
“The benefits of play in early childhood development have been well-documented over the years. Not only does it add to the development of cognitive and physical skill sets in children, but it also builds emotional resilience and bolsters problem-solving abilities, which become increasingly more valuable as we grow older,” says Thuli Mkhwebane, SiyaDlala SiyaFunda Campaign Director. “These learnings not only serve a child on an individual level but provide the benefit of association for the greater community.”
Earlier this year, phase one of SiyaDlala SiyaFunda ignited the movement with a six-week-long radio campaign. The campaign featured 24-minute episode slots which covered various issues that related to the importance of learning through play. SiyaDlala SiyaFunda engaged community leaders, and opinion leaders and encouraged parents and caregivers to join the movement.
Now, SiyaDlala SiyaFunda is set to host a series of playdates in communities around the country. These playdates will see organizations across the country hosting community-based playdates, where parents, caregivers and children will engage in activities and create meaningful memories fueled by play of traditional games. The SiyaDlala SiyaFunda Movement has partnered with Hope World Wide, Ntataise, A Chance to Play, TREE and The Toy Library Association. Through this partner network, we will host over 50 playdates across the country.
On Saturday the 29th October SiyaDlala SiyaFunda hosted the Mzansi Family Playdate at Sci-Bono, JHB and will host another one in Durban on North Beach on Saturday the 5th Nov. Children, parents and caregivers from ECD centers and primary schools will be invited to join in a few hours of fun learning while playing.
These days will include a variety of indigenous games, information stalls (an opportunity for our partner organisations to engage with parents & caregivers), appearances by our beloved ambassador Mam Gcina Mhlophe as well as other celebrities and opinion leaders who support our movement
“We look forward to sharing these special days with children, their parents, and guardians. The Mzanzi Family Playdates hold so much potential to redefine not only how we play, but how we engage and connect on a human level. These experiences go beyond action and offer meaningful moments to build resilience and relationships,” Dr Gcina Mhlophe, the award-winning storyteller, poet, musician, and actress, and SiyaDlala SiyaFunda ambassador.
As various parts of Mzansi gather for playdays in their communities, join a playday near you or set up one with your family and friends.
The 50 playdays hosted nationally will be supported by PURA Beverage company who will be supplying us with refreshments for the kids, their parents, and all involved. CEO of PURA, Greig Jansen is excited by the opportunity: “We cannot wait to be involved in such an important day in so many children’s lives. We at PURA commit to living a little PURA and, in this instance, we fully support and agree that play assists in early childhood development. And the fact that the kids will be drinking our healthier beverages can only help them concentrate and have fun, without the sugary high’s that make them bounce off the wall’s”.
Share your playday highlights on Facebook @SiyadlalasiyafundaSA and Twitter @SiyaDlala_ as well as Instagram @siyadlala_siyafunda and stand a chance to win a play kit for your family.
Create time to play, give our children a chance to learn in a relaxed, safe environment #SiyaDlalaSiyaFunda
About SiyaDlala SiyaFunda
SiyaDlala SiyaFunda is a movement to encourage parents and caregivers to recognise the benefits of play, dedicate more time to play with their children, and demand more space and time for play to happen in their homes, communities, and classrooms. The movement started in 2019 in Columbia, Rwanda and Brazil, and launched in South Africa in June 2022. It is supported by all the main partner organisations working in the Early Childhood Development sector.
Partners
A Chance to Play: https://a-chance-to-play.org.za/
ACTP is an organisation that advocates for the right of all children to play.
Working with parents, communities, government and children, ACTP promotes the critical benefits of and enables play through advocacy, training, community play forums and play champions.
Hope Worldwide: https://hopeworldwidesa.org/
HOPE worldwide South Africa has been serving vulnerable children, households, and communities since 1993. From 2011, they have focused their efforts on the most vulnerable – young children aged 0-6 years, as this is the most critical period in a child’s development.
TREE: https://tree-ecd.co.za/
TREE is a non-profit organisation that specialises in Early Childhood Development resources and training their vision is to train and capacitate the early childhood development (ECD) workforce to enable them to promote quality holistic early childhood development.
Ntataise: https://www.ntataise.org/
Their mission is to lead a young child by the hand. They serve children through improving the reach and quality ECD provision.
AfriWallStreet: https://afriwallstreet.com/
AfriWallStreet is a sociopreneurial (Social and Entrepreneurial) startup launched to be a leading innovative career development community that supports young professionals to stand out in their field and achieve their career goals. It is our aim to give young professionals good head start and breed globally competitive young professionals across the globe.
