“Let’s play!” (and build brains everyday)

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“Let’s play!” (and build brains everyday)

At Sikunye, we are passionate about seeing all children across South Africa reach their full potential. And what better time to do that than the First Thousand Days of life (from conception to 2 years old)! This is a period when a young brain is developing at a never-to-be-repeated rate. In fact, during this time, the neurons in the brain are connecting at a million times a second! Powerfully, the everyday actions of caregivers help the brains of young children develop – setting them up for future learning.

You don’t need expensive toys or fancy gadgets to build brains. You don’t have to be a teacher or a psychologist. With some awareness, some ideas and some attention, you can give your child the right kind of stimulation to spark profound learning – with a lifelong impact!

And so, for the month of February, Sikunye set out to spread the word on this serious (and fun) part of caregiving. We launched the #everydayplay campaign. Through social media, we encouraged people across the nation to share how they are building brains through play. We wanted people to talk about and show what brain-building looks like in their household and inspire others to do so too.

Even better, all eligible entries went into a lucky draw for a R3000 Babies R Us voucher.  The winner was @DkoshZuzuTequilat, who shared videos and photos of her playing with her grandchild. Congratulations!

Playing everyday with your child has a profound impact on their brain development. Scroll through some tips that may inspire some more play.

If you don’t have a child in that important stage, you can be encouraging others to regularly engage with their children in this way. Have a look at the webinar we ran in March on how to encourage love, play talk: Practical Workshops.

Join us in seeing all children get a strong start to life.

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