Worldwide Orphans (WWO) created a learning at home activity manual with 20 activities to do in 20 minutes, targeted for children from 6 months-8 years of age with focus on supporting parent capacity to play with and support their child’s ongoing learning. The activity manual has been rolled out in Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Haiti and Vietnam and translated into the local language within each country.

Activities were selected based on:
• An understanding that most of our families have limited resources and few toys in the household.
• A desire to strengthen the relationship between parent and child through short (20minutes) quality activities.
• Selection of play-based learning activities that promote early childhood development, including language, listening, math and problem-solving skills.

Maintaining a routine in times of crisis is vital for children. This program consists of 20-minute play sessions that parents/caregivers can do with their children at home using very basic items: a pencil, some paper, a box of crayons or a deck of cards.

Training was done via phone call or Zoom with manuals and learning kits distributed to each family. Feedback suggests that parents have appreciated the activity ideas and have been more engaged in their child’s learning and play. The manual is available in the other languages upon request.