South Africa is facing a crisis in childhood play. Kids are moving less, playing less, and spending an average of 4.5 hours a day on screens. As a result, children's mental health challenges are on the rise, with the rise of anxiety, isolation, and sleep issues leading the charge. Research indicates that just 15 minutes of unstructured play each day can enhance emotional resilience, brain development, and parent-child bonding. More than just fun, play is now recognised as a key driver of emotional resilience, cognitive development, creativity and connection, and it's time we gave it the attention it deserves. While the public holidays may have come to an end, our next guests share the importance of play, how to get families moving again and how we navigate the challenges in finding safe places for children to play. We are joined by…

Guest (Telephone): Cayleigh Rice - Paediatric Occupational Therapist (She can speak to the importance of play a child’s development)

Guest (Telephone): Mbali Mashaba - Registered Counsellor (She can speak to the role of play in helping children develop emotional resilience)

Guest (Telephone):  Catherine Jacoby - Marketing Manager at Toys R Us (She leads National Day of Play initiative)