School holidays have arrived, and parents and children alike are looking forward to some well-deserved downtime. During the festive break, parents can continue to foster cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth, just by playing with their children. 

This year, Takalani Sesame's 'Bond Through Play' campaign has been advocating for dads to bond with their children through play. The campaign serves to educate caregivers on the benefits of father figures connecting with their children, encouraging them to embrace play, challenge harmful gender stereotypes, and adopt positive parenting practices. 

This December, fathers can contribute to their children's well-being through engaging in playful activities. As many of us are on leave, families can seize this opportunity to spend meaningful time together. 

Tips for families to play together over the festive season include: 

Play is a Shared Responsibility:

When families play together it is a win-win, below are some ideas for fun family games to play this December, including some South African favourites:

  • hide and seek in safe indoor or outdoor spaces
  • creating a round-robin story with hand shadows
  • age-appropriate card and/or board games
  • Morabaraba; trying to get three "cows" in a row
  • Kgati; the skipping rope game
  • Diketo; "the stone-throwing game" — remember the adults need to play with their non-dominant hand, and
  • imaginary play; go on imaginary adventures together.

Play Anytime, Anywhere and in Any Way:

Payne says that while people are on holiday, there are still everyday tasks that will need attention, but the good news is that parents can incorporate play into these tasks while ticking off the items on their to-do list:

  • sorting laundry can be a fun learning game by sorting according to colour or by type of garment
  • look for shapes while shopping — "how many circles can you see?"
  • while preparing meals, parents can ask children to fetch ingredients or turn meal preparations into a scavenger hunt, and
  • travelling games have a dual purpose, as they help to pass the time while learning and bonding. This can be done by counting cars by colour, imagining shapes out of the clouds, or playing "I spy" — just not the driver. 

For more information, visit www.sesameworkshop.org. You can also follow the Sesame Workshop on Facebook, X, Instagram, or on TikTok.

*Image courtesy of contributor