From 7–14 December 2024, Play Africa partnered with the Ithemba Upliftment Foundation to deliver an engaging seven-day Children’s Holiday Programme in Johannesburg. This collaboration, now in its third year, continues to provide safe, play-based learning spaces where children’s curiosity, creativity, and imagination can thrive.
The programme welcomed 485 children over the week, averaging 70 participants per day, aged 3 to 14. Each day was dedicated to a unique theme, offering a mix of child-led and facilitated activities, including hands-on STEM projects, creative arts, environmental education, design thinking, and civic engagement experiences. Highlights included:
- Our Place in Space Day: Exploring planets, stars, and the moon.
- Creative Arts Day: Talent shows, puppet-making, mono-printing, and stop-motion animation.
- Children’s Voices/My Constitution Day: Courtroom role-play and mock elections.
- Climate Change Theme Day: Vertical farming projects and upcycling activities.
- STEM Day: Balloon-powered vehicles, dry ice experiments, and linear design workshops.
- Our Ideal World/Makerspace Day: Design thinking prototypes and leather-making workshops.
- Children’s Showcase Day: Celebrating the children’s creations through galleries and performances.
The December 2024 programme reinforced Play Africa’s mission of creating tailored, educational play experiences while highlighting the importance of collaboration. It was a week of discovery, creativity, and joy, leaving children excited for future holiday programmes.