Did you know that 15.5 million U.S. children live in poverty, and for many of those, playtime isn’t part of daily life? As a dad, that’s really hard to hear because I understand that playtime is not just for fun – it’s a part of childhood development. 10 minutes of play can improve a child’s performance and play even enhances the progress of early development by 34%. Did you know how important play was to our children?
Facts About Play and Children
- Play builds the foundation for a lifetime of learning
- Pretend play with a child from 8 to 17 months old is linked to higher intellect at age 5
- Young children benefit from interaction, babbling, facial expressions and gestures, the absence of which from adults can lead to disparities in learning and behavior
- In one study, children ages 1 ½ to 2 ½ who were provided sets of plastic building bricks had significantly higher language scores six months later
- Even 10 minutes of play can improve a child’s performance, may encourage thinking and successfully controls behavior
- Children with access to a variety of toys reach higher levels of intellectual achievement
Toys”R”Us recently announced Play With Purpose, a brand new fundraising and awareness campaign in partnership with Save the Children. Save the Children is a nonprofit committed to ensuring all U.S. children have a healthy start, protection from harm and the opportunity to become educated. Play With Purpose is designed to support Save the Children’s early development programs – Early Steps to School Success, Literacy/Healthy Choices and the SummerBoost Initiative – which help children in some of America’s most underprivileged areas thrive. Through the good work of Save the Children’s early childhood development programs and field representatives, underprivileged families from Washington state to Washington D.C. are able to reap the benefits of hands-on involvement, as they embrace unstructured playtime in their homes.
Together, Toys“R”Us and Save the Children are embarking on a mission to provide some of the 15.5 million youth living in impoverished regions of the country with opportunities and resources to integrate purposeful play into their everyday lives; a factor proven critical in children’s emotional, physical and cognitive development and future growth.
The #PlayWithPurpose campaign is designed to support Save the Children’s early childhood development programs which help children in some of America’s most underserved communities thrive. To further assist families, Toys“R”Us will provide Save the Children with “play packs” filled with toys that build key skills and encourage socialization, along with informational materials to educate parents on the benefits of engaging with their children during play. I love it when companies give back to help others – and that’s exactly what Toys”R”Us is doing!
Be sure to join the Twitter Chat on Tuesday, March 29th at 2 pm EST, which will be hosted by Toys”R”Us and Save the Children. They’ll be chatting with Judie Jerald, Senior Advisor for Early Childhood Education Policy at Save the Children Action Network, using#PlayWithPurpose, to discuss the campaign, importance of play, and ways caregivers can engage little ones during this critical time in their development.
How can you help? Through April 24th, you can make cash donations at any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us store, or online at Toysrus.com/PlayWithPurpose, to help bring learning through play to kids in need. Be sure to follow Toys”R”Us on Facebook, Twitter (#PlayWithPurpose) and Instagram for more information.
What did you learn from the video shared above?
What do you like about the Play For Purpose campaign?
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