Govt urges parents to interact with children
By Daily Star Reporter
6/21/2020 11:11:06 AM
Government, through the Ministry of Health, has encouraged parents and other caregivers to be interacting with their children to enable them to develop in a healthy way.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson Abel Kabalo has said children who receive nurturing, care and the stimulation of play, including interactions with parents and caregivers, develop quicker and grow healthier.
Dr. Kabalo said this in the spirit of Father’s Day, where the Ministry of Health in partnership with Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, with support from UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation, is launching a national campaign entitled: “I play, I learn, I thrive”.
He said the campaign is intended to spread awareness about the importance of play for young children.
"The Significance of Play in a Child's Development During the first few years of life, a child’s brain develops at a rate of more than one million new neural connections every second. This is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Children who receive nurturing care and the stimulation of play, including interactions with parents and caregivers, develop quicker and grow healthier, in addition to thriving better in school and later in life," Dr Kabalo explained.
"For children to feel secure, they must be shown love and affection. Even babies that are too young to understand what adults say to them in words, can understand love and rejection, joy and sorrow in the parent or caregiver’s tone of voice, body language, actions and gestures. Parents and caregivers can express love and affection to the child in different ways; hugging, cuddling, smiling and laughing together, tickling, massaging, gestures, and vocalisation."
He noted that during the period of Covid19, children are spending more time at home.
"During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, children are spending more time at home...thus encourage fathers, mothers and other caregivers to be interacting with their children to enable them to develop in a healthy way. Development of Children in the context of Zambian Proverbs The Playful Parenting campaign, launched today in Zambia, will highlight local proverbs that encourage nurturing care towards children."
"The early years offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape a child’s ability to learn, grow and contribute meaningfully to society. Parents, including fathers, guardians and other caregivers are the main providers of the nutrition, stimulation, love and protection that every baby needs to build the brain’s architecture. Young children need acknowledgement and encouragement to develop confidence in themselves. Children should be encouraged when they achieve a new goal or are trying out something new. Praise motivates them to explore more and exploration is in turn good for brain development. Fathers and mothers need to be aware that they can negatively influence or lower children’s motivation to explore if the child’s efforts are not recognised," said Dr. Kabalo.
He said children's confidence is built when their parents respond positively to their actions.
"Children’s confidence is built when their parents and caregivers respond positively to their actions. They perform significantly better when they are praised and given gentle feedback and explanations about what was good about their actions and why such a deed was commendable. Praise that is specific and acknowledges the processes of completing an activity or solving a problem helps develop children’s learning and motivation," he said.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson Abel Kabalo has said children who receive nurturing, care and the stimulation of play, including interactions with parents and caregivers, develop quicker and grow healthier.
Dr. Kabalo said this in the spirit of Father’s Day, where the Ministry of Health in partnership with Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, with support from UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation, is launching a national campaign entitled: “I play, I learn, I thrive”.
He said the campaign is intended to spread awareness about the importance of play for young children.
"The Significance of Play in a Child's Development During the first few years of life, a child’s brain develops at a rate of more than one million new neural connections every second. This is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Children who receive nurturing care and the stimulation of play, including interactions with parents and caregivers, develop quicker and grow healthier, in addition to thriving better in school and later in life," Dr Kabalo explained.
"For children to feel secure, they must be shown love and affection. Even babies that are too young to understand what adults say to them in words, can understand love and rejection, joy and sorrow in the parent or caregiver’s tone of voice, body language, actions and gestures. Parents and caregivers can express love and affection to the child in different ways; hugging, cuddling, smiling and laughing together, tickling, massaging, gestures, and vocalisation."
He noted that during the period of Covid19, children are spending more time at home.
"During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, children are spending more time at home...thus encourage fathers, mothers and other caregivers to be interacting with their children to enable them to develop in a healthy way. Development of Children in the context of Zambian Proverbs The Playful Parenting campaign, launched today in Zambia, will highlight local proverbs that encourage nurturing care towards children."
"The early years offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape a child’s ability to learn, grow and contribute meaningfully to society. Parents, including fathers, guardians and other caregivers are the main providers of the nutrition, stimulation, love and protection that every baby needs to build the brain’s architecture. Young children need acknowledgement and encouragement to develop confidence in themselves. Children should be encouraged when they achieve a new goal or are trying out something new. Praise motivates them to explore more and exploration is in turn good for brain development. Fathers and mothers need to be aware that they can negatively influence or lower children’s motivation to explore if the child’s efforts are not recognised," said Dr. Kabalo.
He said children's confidence is built when their parents respond positively to their actions.
"Children’s confidence is built when their parents and caregivers respond positively to their actions. They perform significantly better when they are praised and given gentle feedback and explanations about what was good about their actions and why such a deed was commendable. Praise that is specific and acknowledges the processes of completing an activity or solving a problem helps develop children’s learning and motivation," he said.