Takalani Sesame held its third Regional Play Festival of the year in Bloemfontein, Free State. 300 child-parent pairs participated in the event, which was one of three Regional Play Festivals held as part of the brands ongoing efforts to promote the importance of play-based learning.

Today’s event was hosted in partnership with the Free State Department of Education, aimed at empowering local parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to engage their children in playful activities that foster learning and creativity. The first event in the series was held in Gauteng in September, followed by the second instalment in the Eastern Cape in October.

Play is a fundamental aspect of a child’s growth and development, and research has shown that play-based learning can have a positive impact on a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. By incorporating play into everyday routines, parents and caregivers can create opportunities for their children to learn and explore the world around them.

The Takalani Sesame Play Festivals Series for 2024 aimed to harness the crucial role that parents and caregivers can play, in the home setting. This serves to support children’s learning through play and help them develop holistically and be better prepared for formal schooling in Grade R or Grade 1.

Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director of Education and Outreach at Sesame Workshop International South Africa (SWISA) says that through these events, Takalani Sesame engaged with parents and caregivers directly, providing them with practical ideas and strategies to enhance their child’s learning through play.

“We were thrilled to collaborate with the Gauteng, Free State, and Eastern Cape Departments of Education, the LEGO Foundation, and the Oak Foundation to bring these exciting series of play festivals to our communities,” said Payne. “Our goal is to create an environment where parents and caregivers can learn about the power of play-based learning, connect with other families, and have a lot of fun in the process,” Payne, added.

The Free State Department of Education’s priority is to achieve universal access to ECD which is a prerequisite for improved learning in later years. To ensure that children have a safe environment for learning and play. This is where the foundation starts. “We are thankful to Takalani Sesame and partners in their quest to promote the importance of play-based learning,” said MEC for Education, Dr. Maboya.

Highlights of the event in Bloemfontein included the mini play workshops and play demonstrations with parents. Through these sessions, parents and caregivers had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the newly launched Takalani Sesame WhatsApp chatbot. The chatbot provides literacy, numeracy, and general learning activities that families can continue to use after the festivals.

By participating in these play festivals, parents and caregivers had a unique opportunity to learn, connect, and exchange ideas with other parents, educators, and experts in the field of early childhood education. The festivals served as platforms for sharing best practices, innovative ideas, and strategies for fostering learning through play.

The main portion of the event consisted of various interactive play stations, which were set up throughout the event space, allowing families to rotate through and engage in a variety of play-based learning activities. These play stations were designed and facilitated by the Takalani Sesame team, drawing on the beloved characters and educational content from the show.

Some examples of the play station activities include:

• Storytelling and literacy-focused stations held by Nal’ibali, where children interacted with age-appropriate storybooks and participated in interactive read-aloud sessions led by the facilitators.
• Numeracy and problem-solving stations, operated by Cotlands, featuring hands-on math games and activities.
• Physical activity stations by Cotlands, encouraging gross motor skills development through movement-based games and challenges.
• LEGO bricks station run by Sesame Workshop, where children engaged in creative and constructive play using LEGO bricks and sets, with support from the facilitators to guide learning through the building process.
• Active learning workshop facilitated by Seriti to educate parents on the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) and how to actively support their child’s growth.
• Making toys from waste workshop held by Cotlands to engage families in a creative challenge to make educational toys from recycled materials, guided by facilitators throughout the design and construction process.
• National Parenting Programme workshop, facilitated by the Free State Department of Education, designed to provide parents with essential information on nurturing their children and ensuring that every child receives the best possible start in life.
• An interactive WhatsApp chatbot experience facilitated by Sesame Workshop for families to access educational content and activities to use post-event.

By offering a variety of interactive play stations, the Play Festivals provided a multifaceted, immersive learning experience that engaged children and parents/caregivers alike.

There was also a “community showcase” area, where local organisations and service providers related to early childhood education and family support set up information booths.

Payne explains the objectives of the series of events was to:

• increase confidence and skills of parents and caregivers in facilitating play-based learning activities that support their children’s holistic development and school readiness,
• improve the understanding among parents and caregivers of the educational value of play and its role in supporting children’s learning and development,
• and to introduce the Takalani Sesame WhatsApp chatbot so parents and caregivers can access information and support on play-based learning.

Parents and caregivers who attended the events experienced the benefits of play-based learning firsthand, providing a valuable resource for those looking to enhance their child’s learning experience through play. They engaged with educational and fun activities, met and interacted with Takalani Sesame characters, and explored an exhibition of LEGO® bricks and Takalani Sesame play materials.