Little ones at Parkmore Nursery spreads festive cheer with Christmas boxes to Kgatonhle Day Care
Parkmore Nursery School turned the traditional Santa Shoebox concept into a personal, heartfelt experience, letting children choose a child from Kgatonhle Day Care to create a gift box for.
The halls of Parkmore Nursery School were filled with excitement and purpose in November as children took part in a uniquely heart-warming Christmas initiative.
Guided by principal Nancy Turner, the school put a creative spin on the traditional Santa Shoebox project, encouraging personal connection, empathy, and hands-on learning.
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Instead of simply receiving a packing list, children were invited to choose a specific child from Kgatonhle Day Care and Pre School in Soweto to pack a box for.
With permission from Kgatonhle parents, photos, names and ages of the children were displayed on a table. Parkmore children then chose who they wanted to prepare a special gift for.
“Everything we do at Parkmore has an educational purpose. When I became a principal, one of my visions was to partner with an underprivileged school in one of the surrounding communities. In partnership with Africa Food for Thought, and two of the assistant teachers, we visited the school, met the children and asked them what they needed.
“I then asked parents of Parkmore children to please donate previously loved items. And they showed up, donating toys, books, cuddly toys, clothing and more.”
Each child decorated their own box, painting, drawing and adorning it with stickers before filling it with carefully selected gifts.
The boxes fell into two categories: School boxes, which included juice bottles, lunch boxes, cookies, crayons and other essentials many children use daily but may not always have access to – personal-care boxes, filled with small comfort items and personal necessities.
“This was our way of teaching the children that charity can start at any age and that they can learn from it.”
Some Parkmore families went a step further by preparing teacher boxes for Kgatonhle staff, filled with items such as stickers and classroom supplies that are often costly or difficult to obtain. “Our children have these things, and we may take them for granted. These little gifts will make a real difference.”
Turner expressed heartfelt appreciation to parents, who responded generously after the call to participate went out in early November.
“Thank you so much to the Parkmore community. They’ve given so generously, and I know it’s going to make a difference in these little children’s lives.”
The initiative was undertaken in partnership with Africa Food for Thought, which will collect and distribute the boxes to Kgatonhle Nursery School within the coming week.
Thanks to the overwhelming success of the project, Parkmore Nursery School is already considering making the initiative an annual tradition.
“It’s gone so well this year that I think it’s something we will do again. Next year we’ll put our thinking caps on and see how we can make it even bigger and better.”
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