A childhood without play is an incomplete childhood. As adults when we remember the days when we were young, we often are taken back to the playgrounds. The swings, the see-saws, the games that taught us strategies to fight everyday lives and emerge victorious, all hold a precious place in our hearts.

The children who belong to tribal families have through generations lived close to wilderness in remote areas. Being brought up in rough surroundings and inherently being adventurous in nature they have managed to stay aloof from the rest of the society. Playing in common playgrounds gives children the impetus to develop into individuals who can not only deal with other human beings sensibly but also be accepted by others as an integral part of their society. Children learn to offer help and take help from each other in order to take a game to completion. And even for a child who wants to enjoy some time alone on a swing or a slide, watching and observing other children play also adds to their learning and social wellbeing.

The generous thought pool at the Bombay Mothers and Children's Welfare Society (BMCWS) cares for the Rights of all children to not only be educated but also experience an overall development by getting access to play. Their focussed work for the children of ZilaParishad schools in Rajgurunagar, Pune has impacted lives of countless children. Their joy of associating school with also a place to enjoy and be happy has changed the way they looked at school.

Majority of ZilaParishad schools do not have playgrounds and the ones that do have the facility are not maintained. So the resultant play grounds are not fit for children to play in. They do not have proper flooring, boundary walls, or even play equipment.

Having the understanding that play-space is necessary for the holistic development of children, the Bombay Mothers and Children's Welfare Societyundertook the project initially with just 12 ZilaParishad schools to provide leisure facilities for children by creating playgrounds with essential play equipment.

^{There Are Never Enough Swings For a Class of Eager Playful Children}

The organization also distributed sports equipment like Carom Boards, Cricket sets, Volley Balls and Footballs to 29 schools benefitting a total of 6,931 rural students.

Since 2019 BMCWS initiated the adventure element to their project by incorporating innovative rubber tyre play equipment to the playgrounds of 12 ZilaParishad schools. This not only inculcates a lot of enthusiasm in the children but also teaches them essential life skills while at play. The organization has contributed to unsurpassed joy to children of 24 such schools in Rajgurunagar, Pune.

^{Simple Things Can Keep Children Engrossed In Serious Playtime}

The installation and maintenance of play equipment in playgrounds has had a tremendous positive impact on the children. Coming from the marginalized sections of rural communities, the playgrounds have been a sweeping success with the children studying at these ZilaParishad schools.

The sensory motor coordination has developed and help improve several critical facets of rearing the child, resulting in an overall and consistent learning and development. The playgrounds facilitate physical activity and bodily growth in children apart from supporting learning.

One of the critical evaluations has been in the field of student attendance. The playgrounds have motivated the children to attend school regularly and discouraged the habit of dropping out because of various factors. If, despite all odds that a young child faces in life that propel him or her towards getting demotivated from learning at school, they choose to stay and fight, it is because of the skills they learn at these common grounds of social interaction.

^{Playground Installations Helping Children Grow Both Physically And Socially}

Both the teachers at the ZilaParishad schools as well as the parents at home have provided testimonials that playing regularly has resulted in the physical growth and strength of children as well mental growth and acumen.

These playgrounds provide opportunities to stimulate physical development for children of all ages. For instance, slides and swings promote balance and coordination while climbing frames help in strengthening their muscles.

Playing outdoors teaches children countless other skills. Climbing helps children learn problem solving skills by helping them in making effort to figure out how to get from point A to point B. In addition, they are also required to apply thought and strategy to identify the safest and quickest way to navigate back down again.

Stretching Themselves To The Other Side Of Joy With These Innovative Play Equipment

We all agree that all children, irrespective of their social status, financial backgrounds, and residential capacities deserve quality education. Also, it is difficult to imagine a school with no playground or an average day at school with no class for games and sports.  However, this is the on-ground reality for several thousands of school going children in India.

Children today need as many “free play” experiences as possible to be able to develop into healthy adults. At the end of the day Happy Children make their parents/ community happy too. As the popular proverb goes, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ We need bright happy young girls and boys who love going to school not only for the studies but also for the play time. In these stressful times, when their parents struggle with various issues on the work and home front, schools can be a welcome daily getaway for children to learn and grow.

The society can only express gratitude to the sensitive and thoughtful gestures by individuals and organizations like the Bombay Mothers and Children's Welfare Society who care for children in such wonderfully unique ways. Identifying gaps in the school system can also include the play area and with small yet valuable interventions, we can make schools a game changer in the lives of young minds.

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Impact-Story is a series on development and CSR interventions leading to some impacts on the ground. If you have a project, innovation or intervention that has changed the lives of a few people or a community, please share a brief note at shilpi@csrbox.org. Our Team will get back to you after validating the information for a detailed coverage.