“This article is based on my life experiences of childhood time and reflection on the present market-based activity toys and traditionally
costless activity toys”
The early childhood education professionals
are always confined to look after the core developmental domains of a child
such as language, fine motor skills, socio-emotional and cognitive development.
These four core domains are interlinked each other and help a child grow and
shape their innate potential in reality in future. Considering this fact, it is
by default that each and every child should be enhanced with these core skills
regardless of caste, creed, and religion, family economic status, privileged
and underprivileged.
However, the different child may come across different means of influences due to the environment of different society and its impact. The environment that is termed as facilities for the children is noticed to be a key factor of enhancing a child in language, socio-emotion, fine motor and cognitive skills. When we talk about the facts of the environment, there comes about privileged and underprivileged; privileged indicates accessible and well-off families while underprivileged denotes most inaccessible families or poverty. For example, most of the privileged parents can access the good daycare centres and purchase domain-oriented activity materials from the market but this same capacity might not be with those underprivileged parents. Although, their children are not being isolated from activities, they are going through developmentally appropriate traditional activities at their home context which is, in fact, seems to be more precise, autonomy and constructive as it is an opposite of template available in the market but child-driven activities.
This short write up would try to address some quality activities that most of the rural children do at home.
However, the different child may come across different means of influences due to the environment of different society and its impact. The environment that is termed as facilities for the children is noticed to be a key factor of enhancing a child in language, socio-emotion, fine motor and cognitive skills. When we talk about the facts of the environment, there comes about privileged and underprivileged; privileged indicates accessible and well-off families while underprivileged denotes most inaccessible families or poverty. For example, most of the privileged parents can access the good daycare centres and purchase domain-oriented activity materials from the market but this same capacity might not be with those underprivileged parents. Although, their children are not being isolated from activities, they are going through developmentally appropriate traditional activities at their home context which is, in fact, seems to be more precise, autonomy and constructive as it is an opposite of template available in the market but child-driven activities.
This short write up would try to address some quality activities that most of the rural children do at home.
Costless
child-driven developmental activities accessed in the rural context-
To make you understand in a simple way let
me tell you a short story of my childhood times,
“Ritu
and Pitu are the two brothers, they are 6 and 4 years old respectively, their parent
is a daily wager, there is no specific work for them, they just grab any work that comes to them for their livelihood. There is no space left out to look
after their two sons, not even to drop them to the school. What their parent do
is just ask them (sons) to go to the school on time and play at home after
returning back home from the school. As directed by the parent, two brothers
never go outside home; they just play at home engaging in designing activities
such as bus and lorry by the banana trunk. Despite, they use to play with birds
making activity by jackfruit leaves and also play with cycle ring pulling. There
is nothing well-designed equipment for them to play at home as a parent could
not purchase toys. They just design things, play and break”.
This ground reality of activities that most
of the rural children have come across is something very good illustrative for
the early childhood professionals and practitioners so as to understand the
efficiency and quality of the activities that the child does at school and home
context. I mean to say that, these series of activities are not absolutely copy
paste and kind of sitting only on the car, however, it is something very engaging,
mechanical and creative activities that have an immense impact on enhancing
their innate potentials.
· 1. Toymaking with banana tree trunk: It is
one of the most familiar activities in a rural context. Children cut the banana
tree and design varieties of cars such as bus, lorry, jeep, ambulance etc and
at the end they enjoy pulling it by making a road. While playing with this kind of activity
they use to connect to the reality like, who is carrying what, e.g., bus puller
would carry passengers; lorry puller would carry goods; ambulance puller would
carry patient.
A most important part of this activity is other children would give way to ambulance puller who comes from behind. It is kind of enhancing the realistic sense of humanity and giving more importance to sick people than others. This in a way develops socio-emotional skills among children.
A most important part of this activity is other children would give way to ambulance puller who comes from behind. It is kind of enhancing the realistic sense of humanity and giving more importance to sick people than others. This in a way develops socio-emotional skills among children.
·
2. Rice cake making by sand: Another
familiar activity of most of the rural children is making rice cake by sand. In
this activity, children collect sand and take a bowl and make a rice cake. First
of all, children would make rice cake as much as they can and later part is to
serve it to the grandparents, mom, dads, and others. This activity would enhance
building a sound social relationship.
·
3. Bird making by jackfruit leaves: Rural
children are familiar also to play with birds. They will take some jackfruit
leaves, tear in both the sides and join it together ultimately shaping it as a
martin bird. Children would name it as Martin bird as they are more familiar
with this bird. In the end, they would rear the birds by feeding it rice crumbs
and locusts in the play. This activity is so much reflective to the environment
and its ecosystems that children would get attached to their immediate surrounding and its responsibility.
·
4. Cycle ring pulling: The most common
activity that most of the rural children are familiar with is old cycle ring
pulling. They are very fond of pulling the rings; this activity is played in
the open road. A most important part of this activity is it enhances Physical development (fine motor as well as gross motor skills) as children would continue to run and pull.
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| Image Source: Pinterest |
In fact, it is not necessary to have being
accessible and affordable in every aspect, this is not the crisis at all, however,
being unable to explore, research and facilitate being a professional ourselves is the
biggest crisis when it comes to the discourse of accessibility and affordability
of early childhood and child-appropriate activities.
These activities might be dirty, costless and not impressive to the adults' eye, but for children its fun, fun and full of fun. Its implication is far higher than today’s expensive toys because today’s expensive toys do not allow children more engagement (It depends on the type of learning material). Children during their early stages of life need a lot of reinforcement, and integration of body, heart, mind and soul. when we relate to the car making with banana trees, we can notice lots of engagement of body, mind and heart that enhances their cognitive skills.
These activities might be dirty, costless and not impressive to the adults' eye, but for children its fun, fun and full of fun. Its implication is far higher than today’s expensive toys because today’s expensive toys do not allow children more engagement (It depends on the type of learning material). Children during their early stages of life need a lot of reinforcement, and integration of body, heart, mind and soul. when we relate to the car making with banana trees, we can notice lots of engagement of body, mind and heart that enhances their cognitive skills.
Reflection is contributed by:
Satyasing Mushahary, an alumnus of Azim Premji University (2014-16)
Senior Consultant @ CLF India.1