GABORONE, Nov. 22 — Parents in Botswana have been challenged to expose children to different forms of play with a positive impact, as the country celebrated World Children’s Day Wednesday. Former Miss Botswana Malebogo Marumoagae, director of Belle Larissa, an etiquette training organization based in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, said parents should adopt and consider different extracurricular activities, to improve children’s right to play. “Most children are now confined, they go to school and come back to play with tablets or phones and have less time to play with other kids,” bemoaned Marumoagae, emphasizing that communities need more extracurricular activities and not focus only on academics. Marumoagae observed that exposing children to different forms of play stimulates their creativity and imagination, and boosts their confidence and self-esteem. However, the facilities that provide extracurricular activities such as robotics, cooking lessons, and music have become a preserve for the elite, as money has to be paid to access the facilities. “Most of the free play areas that are available across the country provide only recreational activities, but we need to be intentional when it comes to what we want our children to learn,” Marumoagae said. While saying economic dynamics have led to an oversupply of play-to-learn centers in the capital, as opposed to rural and remote areas, Marumoagae insisted more playing center facilities for children must be available despite this gap.
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