The idea began while planning our Diwali celebrations in October 2023. “No more gyaan giving” was the general feeling for the event that was to be held for more than 200 children and their parents, across 23 Anganwadis in Javali Block (Satara District) and Moshi Beat (Pune District) in Maharashtra.
A range of fun activities were planned for the families. Children and families (mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents) together painted mud diyas, made Diwali greeting cards, created paper lanterns and decorated the environment with flower rangolis. The smiles on the faces of the children and the grown-ups filled the room with brightness, no less than that of the Diwali lights.
The activities were followed by the screening of the Bachpan Manao video. For the parents, the video seemed to bring it all together. “The children in the video were free and happy” noted one. ‘They were playing, exploring, learning, falling, getting up and moving on” said another. The video provided an important avenue to talk to parents about the way we interact with our children in today’s world. “The video reminded me that I climbed mountains and played with mud as a child. But I realized that I discourage my child from playing with mud with the fear of infections. I’m going to stop doing that from now and let my child enjoy playing in the sand and mud” expressed a mother. A few parents mentioned they were pleasantly surprised that such a fun event took place in the anganwadi. “We think of the anganwadi as a place where we are called when they need to give us some information or talk about our child’s health. We are happy that we got to do these fun activities with our children here”.
For the Anganwadi teachers, the event was an eye-opener into how something so seemingly small can create an impact so big! They talked about how the event required very little effort in terms of planning as well as cost, but the impact created by the experience would be beneficial in building their relationship with families. “We think we can plan such events for our parents too. It was so simple yet so effective” remarked one of the teachers.
We couldn’t agree more. In all our training, we aim to create awareness in parents on how to engage with their children. Creating simple opportunities for them to do things together, with their children, was the easiest way to get the message across. Actions, pictures and videos speak louder than 1000 words! As we go into the new year, we hope to take our learning from a Diwali like no other.
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