Since 2019, the LEGO Foundation has partnered with UNICEF to scale up playful partnering in Serbia. Playful parenting, where parents and caregivers actively engage in quality play and reading with their children, is crucial in fostering brain growth and lifelong learning, leading to improved developmental and learning outcomes. Here, Ivana Mihić, from the University of Novi Sad, supervisor of activities at the Center for Support of Early Development and Family Relations "Harmonija" and implementing partner of UNICEF Serbia, shares her experiences with the initiative through a series of engaging videos.  

In this article that offers a few sample highlights, you will find links to the videos, which offer profound insights and practical explanations from Ivana's researcher perspective working closely with the children and parents. Ivana describes the journey of scaling up playful parenting in Serbia as transformative, leading to a deeper understanding of how play can enhance the parent-child relationship and support child development.  

1. Exploring Playful Parenting 

The initiative entailed Ivana observing and documenting interactions between parents and children aged three to five as they played a wide range of games and activities. These included role-playing, simple rule-based games, and activities focused on developing motor skills. Some games were particularly interesting due to their complexity and depth, addressing significant topics such as social injustice, social relationships, and major life events from a child's perspective. 

Ivana elaborates, "One game that stood out involved a young girl noticing the wind. This simple observation evolved into a multi-day exploration with her family. They examined the wind's characteristics through role-playing, storytelling, and even reading a novel together. This spontaneous play integrated seamlessly into the family's routine, demonstrating the depth and creativity of playful interactions." 

The Nature of Play 

These unique interactions, termed "Super games," and the families involved, called "Super players," showcased how play could become an integral part of daily life. These families adopted play as a natural part of their daily routines, creating enriching experiences for their children. 

Ivana explains, "We observed that parents who engaged deeply in these games were effortlessly present, aligning with their child's interests. This approach made it seem as if playful interactions were a way of life for these families. Our goal became to make such experiences available to every child, acknowledging that not all parents have the time, ideas, or comfort to engage in such play." 

2. Developing Playful Parenting Competencies 

Key competencies of playful parenting were identified, focusing on the significance of joint play for a child's development and relationality. Playful parenting involves recognizing play as an opportunity for emotional well-being and acquiring new knowledge and skills. Playful parents create various stimuli for play, support their child's curiosity, and value play as enjoyable and meaningful. 

Building a Framework for Playful Parenting 

Developing competencies in playful parenting relies on quality characteristics such as responsiveness, acceptance, knowledge of child development, and emotional investment. A roadmap for developing playful parenting was created, starting from bonding, understanding child development, and being responsive to a child's needs. The intervention aimed to develop these skills in parents gradually, integrating the lessons into general child-care. 

3. Implementation Through the Health System 

Serbia's health system is aimed at supporting families with young children and draws on an interconnected approach across sectors, including health, early childhood education and care, and child protection. Such a system provides a strong foundation for implementing playful parenting, as home visitors supporting families during the transition to parenthood can be trained to teach and facilitate playful interactions between parent and child from the prenatal period through the first year of life. 

Ivana shares, "Home visitors are trained to introduce playful activities and support parents in observing and responding to their baby's behavior. They use tools like dolls to model interactions and encourage parents to engage in activities such as talking, singing, and dancing with their baby. Visits continue through the first year, supporting parents in creating a stimulating environment for their child's development." 

Challenges and Successes 

Ivana notes, "One challenge has been ensuring continuous support and flexibility from home visitors, who must integrate playful parenting into their usual activities. We provide mentoring, supportive supervision, and learning communities for home visitors to share experiences and develop their playful skills."  

To address these challenges, mentoring, supportive supervision, and learning communities were established for home visitors to share experiences and develop their skills in the domain of playful parenting. 

4. Future Directions 

Given these initial positive outcomes and looking ahead, the hope is to motivate other health professionals, including pediatricians and gynecologists, to get involved in building and promoting playful parenting skills. Ensuring Super game experiences for each child requires continuous, integrated, and accessible support for every family. Play, as a universal language, offers endless learning opportunities, and is a crucial language with which to support quality parenting and child development. 

Ivana concludes, "Our journey in implementing playful parenting has shown that through play, we can significantly enrich a child's development and the parent-child relationship. We remain committed to making these experiences accessible to every family, ensuring that every child can benefit from the endless learning opportunities that play provides." 

Learn more about the Playful Parenting Initiative here.

In partnership with LEGO Foundation and UNICEF, ISSA is committed to protecting children's right to play. Together, we are supporting parents and caregivers to engage in Playful Parenting.