"Parents have front row seats to some of the most imaginative theatre ever produced. These are the "magical years" - when a child's brain is developed enough to imagine grand stories, but not complex enough to reason the way adults do. Play - real play - is about spontaneity, discovery, and creativity and is a lifelong skill that builds and satisfies curiosity, broadens the way children think, reduces stress and boosts energy levels," says educator, school leader and expert in imaginative play, Gavin Keller.
"Kids have an innate sense of and desire to play. It is about exploration, imagination and wonder. From pretending to be super heroes, princesses and wild animals to fashioning imaginary worlds out of play dough or blocks, it has been proven that free play helps improve communication, relationships, cognitive development and even social and emotional development. That's why Smarties believes in and promotes the magic of play," explains Nestlé corporate affairs director, Ravi Pillay.
With this in mind and in line with its commitment to furthering creative education, the company has launched the Out of This World Box-a-thon in an effort to challenge all pre and primary school kids to think out the box. All they need to do is showcase their imagination by creating their very own 'out of this world', model using Smarties boxes. Once completed, children need simply to take a photograph of their inspired design and upload their pic to the website. One winner will be the lucky recipient of a family holiday for four to Orlando, Florida in the US. Runner-up prizes include a Kindle Fire HD tablet with fun and educational games, as well as clothing vouchers to the value of R1500.
As Keller, who has used neuro-learning research to change a school and its surrounding community explains, "In recent years more emphasis has been placed on learning than on play. In addition, organised activities, computers and TV take away from this important time for young people. It is our responsibility as parents to create the space needed for children to express themselves freely. Participating in projects like this inspires children to make full use of their creativity and imagination and perhaps more importantly, it allows moms and dads an opportunity to bond with their kids in a meaningful way."
Indeed, there is a lot about the world that children are not yet able to grasp and as a result, they fill in the blanks, often making up their own, sometimes magical, explanations for how things work. "This creates the space for this magic to happen. We're passionate about inspiring colourful creativity in young people and that's what this competition is all about," adds Pillay.
Not only does it create the opportunity for creative play, but also art can imbue a sense of satisfaction that comes from working to create something and the ability to use and understand language effectively through art.
"Art and creativity gives children the opportunity to explore different materials, textures, techniques and projects. Art is also a means to enhance students' employability through up-skilling, and a means of developing the ability to interact with the world around them and build the fine tune skills needed for self-expression and communication. It is for this reason that getting creative is so important for children's development," explains Michelle Constant, CEO of Business and Arts South Africa.
The competition ends 30 June 2014 and winners will be announced on 8 August 2014 on www.smarties.co.za.
