Two day workshop on Harnessing Play for Developmental Stimulation and Intervention commences in Jammu University

JAMMU, August 25: Two days’ workshop commenced in Department of Home Science, University of Jammu, in collaboration with National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), GOI, New Delhi,  on “Harnessing Play for Developmental Stimulation and Intervention for children with Developmental Delays and for Enhancing Emotional Well-Being” today. The workshop aims at Skill Building Training  for Home Science faculty, teachers of Surabhi Nursery School and Day Care Center, and students of 2^nd and 4^th semesters of Department of Home Science. It also aims to  bridge the learning gap between knowledge and actual skills required for working in the field of Early Childhood Care and Education.

The program started with a welcome address by Prof. Samridhi Arora, Head, Department of Home Science. Welcoming the  Chief Resource Person, the participants and others present in the workshop. She said that we all have gathered here today, sharing a common interest in unlocking the potential of play to promote holistic development in children. She hoped that through the various sessions of this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in designing play-based interventions and hope that after completion of the workshop the participants will leave with a newfound appreciation for the magic of play and a toolkit of strategies to harness its potential for developmental stimulation

The Chief Resource person of the workshop, Ms. Parul Srivastav, Joint Director, National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, New Delhi explained the purpose of the workshop with an emphasis on the importance of play that will stimulate and give required experiences to children. The workshop aimed at capitalizing the power of play for the necessary life experiences, developmental stimulation and for ensuring wellbeing and mental health of children.Further, she focused on importance of women coming into higher education who can make generational differences by upholding traditional values along with progressive scientific understanding relating to children.

The first session of the intensive workshop was on Discovering the power of play through stimulation exercises and reflections. During the three hours session the participants were given hands-on exposure through actually experiencing games and activities within  the developmental framework.

The post lunch session  was on Exploring the developmental value of play through skill set analysis. during the session the resources person brought out developmental value of play within multiple developmental frameworks given by developmentalists, psychologists within larger sociocultural frame. Participants made presentation on their experiences.

Others who were present in the workshop were the faculty members of the Home Science Department, Prof. Neeru Sharma, Prof. Shashi Manhas, Dr. Charu Mohan, Ms. Anu Choudhary, and Dr. Priyanka Sharma. The Non-Teaching Staff members and scholars of the Department helped in the smooth organization of the workshop.