Play + Learning = Safety

Children love to play. They have to as it is part of learning and growing up. Denying children time to play is denying them a very important requirement for their development.

Games are either outdoor or indoor. The latter involves toys as well as electronic games, while the former are virtually limitless and include age-old games such as hide-&-seek, football, police-&-robbers, hopscotch and many others.

It may seem challenging, especially for working parents, but safety during playtime is important and every parent should participate in ensuring it.

Outdoor games
Physical exercise fosters good health, which goes a long way in enhancing proper development. A school curriculum should allocate adequate time for games in form of physical education.

But what happens over the weekends or during school holidays? There are positive steps that parents can take to help their children play safely while outdoors. Establish rules that the children understand. They may include the following:

• The period and amount of time in which they are allowed to play. Set the time when they should return to the house.
• Always have them, especially the younger ones, in the vicinity for close monitoring.
• There is always safety in numbers hence coordinate playtime with the other parents. Playtime is safer if it involves other children in the neighborhood.
• Have the children memorise routes.  You can take walks with them so they become familiar with the routes. Encouraging them to memorise telephone numbers of persons they can contact in case of an emergency is also of importance.
• Advise your children not to speak to people they do not know.

Children’s toys
With video games dominating and transforming the landscape of our children with a new virtual world for them to play in, it is refreshing to know that there are still classic toys available for younger children to enjoy. This is how you select your children’s toys to ensure maximum safety:

• Select toys according to the developmental stage and abilities. Most toys have a recommended age prescribed on the package.
• All toys come with consumer safety notes. Read them carefully as they provide up-to-date information on the safety of the products.
• Toys with smaller parts are not recommended for toddlers as they can be accidentally swallowed causing problems.
• Ensure there is adequate supervision during playtime.

Video games

They come-in various forms: CDs, DVDs, or online games. Due to the generational gap between parents and their children, it may prove difficult to keep up with the fast-changing electronic age, with children being better positioned to adapt now that they are more curious.It is necessary for you to familiarise yourself with the games before handing them over to your children. ‘Test-drive’ them to know their technicalities, the kind of language used, and violence levels they have. To get the best from video games, certain ground rules need to be established and strictly followed. You need to:

• Establish a play time. This is because these games can get addictive; therefore unregulated gaming time can lead to obsessive behaviour. Children may also become disengaged in group activities, leading to an antisocial conduct or fanning one that already exists.
• Proper supervision. If you allocate game time, be sure that the children are not left unattended to. This is to ensure that they do not sneak into games that may encourage violence or are not appropriate for their age group.
• Get involved. Cultivate interest in the type of games your children enjoy. Child psychologists advise that proper games have developmental, social and educational benefits. ‘Research also tells us that discussing games with your children is the best way to reduce possible negative impacts resulting from the games.
• While letting children enjoy their playtime, put emphasis on the rules so that they remain safe as they learn from the games.

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