Children's Involvement in Informal play in Kenya

The importance of children's involvement in informal play cannot be overemphasized. Informal play facilitates holistic development of children in their contexts at individuals' optimum pace. In the past, children grew up in an environment that promoted play thus providing them with opportunities to enjoy, learn and practice necessary skills as children. Recent studies have established a significant decline in children's involvement in informal play. These views prompted the need to carry out a study to establish the situation of children's involvement in play in Kenya. The study focused on young children in two districts. This led to a collection and description of about eighty informal games of children. The games have been put in categories according to their impact in various aspects of child development. The study also unearthed factors that could be considered in an attempt to revamp children's involvement in informal games.

Autorentext

Dr. Esther Njeri Waithaka holds a Bachelor of Education (First Class Honours), M.Ed and PhD in Early Childhood Studies. She has been a teacher in many educational institutions in Kenya. She has also served at District Education office. Currently, Esther is a lecturer at Kenyatta University.

Klappentext

The importance of children's involvement in informal play cannot be overemphasized. Informal play facilitates holistic development of children in their contexts at individuals' optimum pace. In the past, children grew up in an environment that promoted play thus providing them with opportunities to enjoy, learn and practice necessary skills as children. Recent studies have established a significant decline in children's involvement in informal play. These views prompted the need to carry out a study to establish the situation of children's involvement in play in Kenya. The study focused on young children in two districts. This led to a collection and description of about eighty informal games of children. The games have been put in categories according to their impact in various aspects of child development. The study also unearthed factors that could be considered in an attempt to revamp children's involvement in informal games.