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Inside Education Reporter
The adoption of play-based learning in grooming young minds remains a key lever in terms of strengthening the functionality of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes in South Africa.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with UNICEF, Cotlands, the LEGO Foundation, the Sesame Workshop South Africa, HOPE Worldwide South Africa and Caregiver, hosted the 10th National Conference on Play-Based Learning at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg from 21 to 22 February 2024, as part of the delivery of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for children from birth to four in the country.
According to the organisers, learning through play starts with parents in the home. Play offers the opportunity for every parent to engage with his or her child to build healthy relationships.
Parents respond naturally to their children’s need to learn through play, and this instinctive ability needs to be respected and kindled. A child’s home is the primary learning environment where children play, learn and develop with the support of parents, caregivers, siblings and family members.
Parents require information and support to enrich learning through play as this stimulates healthy brain development. Evidence shows that brain development and growth, as well as the establishment of new neural connections and pathways, are influenced and advanced through exploration, thinking, problem solving and language expression that occurs during play.
During the Conference, DBE senior officials, led by Deputy Director-General for Delivery and Support, Ms Simoné Geyer, and researchers from various institutions of higher learning, were given a platform to share insights on play-based learning and its impact on the holistic development of children from birth to 5 years of age. In her presentation, Dr Julia Norrish, Executive Director at Book Dash, said that the DBE and partners should work towards increasing the accessibility of books for children to complement play-based learning in home and school settings.
“According to our survey, 87% of parents have some print materials at home (newspapers, magazines, religious books, dictionaries or textbooks); however, most parents have a serious shortage of children’s books”.
Several academia and key role players pointed out that educators and caregivers should be equipped with the necessary skills to facilitate play-based learning in ECD programmes.
Tabling the study on parental knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding play-based learning in children from birth to 5 years, DBE’s Ms Mpho Papale and UNICEF representative, Ms Lungile Mdluli, agreed that parents and primary caregivers are critical stakeholders in their children’s early learning and continued education.
“Over 60% of birth-to-four-year-old children are at home in the care of their parents/caregivers who should be supported in terms of providing support for early learning and development. Our study revealed that play was not a priority for many parents living in difficult circumstances who were only concerned with basic survival needs.
“Parents were often lacking social support or confidence in their parenting. There was also a lack of safe spaces for children to play. Older caregivers were more likely to spend time playing with children and to pass down traditional games.
“Intergenerational families offered benefits for young children in terms of play. Young mothers needed the most support with parenting and spent less time playing with young children. A high level of neglect in terms of absent fathers was reported in most provinces”.
DDG for Basic Education Simone Geyer indicated that the Conference enabled stakeholders to share best practices in terms of promoting play-based learning in ECD programmes.
“Key issues that emerged from the discussion were the prioritisation of the parental programme around play-based learning; the provision of learning material to support play-based learning; and the training of caregivers and educators to master technical skills in incorporating play-based learning into curriculum pedagogies.
“The Conference also provided networking opportunities amongst participants in the field of ECD. The insight shared during the Conference will enable the DBE to make informed decisions when supporting ECD Centres throughout the country”.
A consolidated Conference Report detailing insights and recommendations drawn from various key role players will be published on the DBE website and will also be accessible on the websites of the participating partners by 31 March 2024.
INSIDE EDUCATION