Inspired by a nine year old Sudanese refugee boy in Cairo, Egypt, this project aims at providing safe centers for free play for children whose circumstances have denied them cognitive, physical, social, and emotional developmental opportunities.
A clinical report in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cited play as the right of every child, as defined by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights as it is contributes many facets of well-being of children and youth.
Free play and play behavior have been the focus of several studies of child development. Most studied in pre-school children, play behavior indicates levels of cognitive development as determined by age-level characteristics. Consistent with Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, free play helps in the transition from the sensorimotor stage to the preoperational and concrete operational stages that are consistent with preschool to early middle school children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has noted the benefits of play in its study, “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds”. According to the study, play allows children to use their creativity, develop their imagination, improve dexterity, and strengthen their physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being while engaging and interacting with the world around them. Fostering new competencies, children gain confidence and resiliency which are necessary to face future challenges. Through undirected play, children leant to share, work in groups, negotiate, and use self-advocacy skills. The study also argues that free play helps increase physical activity. Furthermore, it has been found that play programs neural structures and ever increasing complex neural structures encourages more play as argued by JL Frost in his paper, “Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development.” At any age, play also acts to retain and enhance meaningful context, and optimizes the learning process according to the Institute for Play.
Unfortunately, Yohannes, and my children like him, are unable to enjoy the benefits of free play because of their circumstances. As the United States struggles with factors such as busy schedules, working parents, and a high-tech society, the AAP advises that parents make time for children to have spontaneous free play and enjoy the value of “true toys” such as blocks and puzzles. The same advice can be carried over to children who live in crammed housing, experience unsanitary conditions, lack toys of any value, and are not encouraged to use their imagination.
Sudanese children in Cairo, Egypt lack the proper conditions to enjoy free play. Because of the lack of play and other factors, they experience slower cognitive development, do not practice creativity, exhibit different age-level characteristics, and do not participate in physical activity. This project aims to provide a “yard” for these children to be able to play in safe, creative conditions.