Mariam, a sickle cell warrior, walked into the playroom and quietly settled with Feyi, who was visually impaired. In what seemed like a long time but was in reality a few minutes, Mariam and Feyi bonded over the colourful puzzles sprawled in front of them. It was a quiet moment, one that defied many words. When Mariam saw that Feyi was struggling to complete the puzzles, she silently reached out and helped her rearrange the pieces. It was beautiful sharing that moment with them as the psychologist and play interventionist. Just two children, both facing their own health challenges, instinctively connecting through empathy and play.
During my first session with Feyi, I focused on sensory play. We explored toys that were rich in texture and sound. She learned to identify different animals by touching them, using only her hands to interpret the world. Then, we moved on to building blocks. She would feel each block carefully, and within a few tries, she was already assembling them with incredible precision. It was as though she had a natural gift. We ended the session with storytelling and a warm conversation about the lessons in the story. The next day, when I came to check on her, her face lit up the moment she heard my voice. Her smile said everything.
The importance of play in children cannot be overstated. It is the building block of a good and quality life. The data and case studies have been quoted over and over. But even these numbers can never fully capture the small, yet profound moments that we share with these children through play. You simply do not remain the same watching a one-year-old boy who has mobility issues and has never walked an inch or stood on his own, taking his first steps in the playroom.
Alfred had been working with physiotherapists for a while, but progress was quite slow. Yet, in the four walls of the playroom, Alfred found a reason to walk —A toy. He saw a toy placed at a distance, and he took his first step with a determined gleam in his eyes. Not because anyone asked him to, but because he wanted that toy.
The playroom does not just offer comfort to the kids that come in to play; caregivers also benefit when playrooms are available and well-equipped to suit the therapeutic needs of different children. Think of the mother whose child has just lost her sight due to an illness. It is not just the child who is adjusting and learning to exist without sight; the mother must also now learn how to parent a visually impaired child, especially in a society like ours, where very little institutional support exists for persons living with disabilities. I still think about how exhausted and flustered Feyi’s mom seemed as she spoke about her daughter’s new reality and how relieved she felt when I offered to take her to the playroom.
At the playroom, we end every session with stories, and I try to engage the kids with the moral lessons in the story. Naturally, I am tempted to do the same thing to end this piece but something about that does not communicate the profundity of the memories I made with the kids or the moments they shared with each other.
The playrooms we build and equip are all about these tiny moments. The moment a child rises to walk for the first time, the moment a blind girl finds a friend in a warrior, the moment an exhausted mother finds succour and relief, realising perhaps for the first time in a while that maybe her baby would be okay after all.
#manysmallmomentsforalifetimeofimpact
PS: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the kids we work with.
