The fourth annual Penreach Play Day
There were about 50 different stations and the children were given an opportunity to try all the different activities on the field.
More than 3 000 children from different early childhood development (ECD) centres in the area enjoyed the annual fun-filled Penreach Play Day. It was held on Wednesday at Mbombela Stadium.
The games included reading, soccer, hula hooping and sack races. It was the fourth Play Day event for kids for of four.
The ECD centres are based in KaBokweni, Backdoor, Ngodini, Clau-Clau, Daantjie, KaNyamazane, Msogwaba, Matsulu, Barberton and many other areas surrounding Mbombela.
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The Play Day is open to any ECD schools and children that want to be a part of it. This year’s Penreach Play Day had about 128 ECD centres attending, over 339 practitioners and parents.
Candice Peterson, Penreach spokesman, said they want the event to continue getting bigger and better.
“We want it to grow so that we can give more children the opportunity to play and learn through playing. We want people to see that they do not need expensive equipment for children to be able to play and learn, for example the sack race.
It is also an opportunity for ECD practitioners to learn different development skills. Every game has an explanation on how it is played and how the kids benefit,” she explained.
Susanna Oosthuizen from Penreach says the more you invest in quality education while children are still little, the less you have to invest when they are in a higher grade.
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“In South Africa we traditionally have not been doing that for the majority of our children and we face challenges in the higher grades.
This is because the foundation was not properly laid in early childhood and this is why we invest a lot of effort in this phase of education.
“One of the best ways that children learn it is through playing. They learn critical thinking skills, social skills and their cognitive development grows through playing. We know this is the best way for children to learn,” she explained.
Among those who joined the play day were ten local businesses, Penreach ECD partners, Nal’ibali, Ntatise and Cotlands and more than 20 Youth Employment Service volunteers.
Peterson could not stop praising their sponsors for the work they did to make the day possible and how they all played their roles well.
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