Takalani Sesame is proud to launch its Bond Through Play Campaign

Takalani Sesame is proud to launch its Bond Through Play Campaign, which aims to encourage fathers to bond with their children through play. Following rigorous research, the Workshop launched the campaign using the research findings to build appropriate content to engage fathers in South Africa and encourage them to embrace play, challenge harmful gender stereotypes, and adopt positive parenting practices.

“Children form their sense of gender identity, attitude toward gender and perception of gender roles and responsibilities as early as two years of age. This understanding of gender that starts at home, when reinforced by a lack of equity in society, can have long-term consequences which impact the rate at which boys and girls learn, as well as their potential to succeed in life.

This campaign serves to educate caregivers on the benefits of father figures connecting with their children,” says Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director Education and Outreach, Sesame Workshop South Africa (SWSA).

Through an OAK Foundation grant, Sesame Workshop embarked on a journey to transform gender norms and advance child well-being through an innovative Fathers’ Engagement Initiative in South Africa. The Workshop initially conducted a needs analysis in three provinces, surveying the opinion of male caregivers and assessing the relationships they have with children regarding play, while assessing the need for workshops and assistance for these father figures.

This research found that men felt that play comes more naturally to women and is outside of the general male caregiver responsibility set; a privilege for those who can spare the time to play with their children outside of other responsibilities. However, these father figures acknowledged that their involvement was important to the child’s development, and subsequent play workshops changed the way caregivers thought about play.

In addition, Sesame Workshop engaged The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) to understand online conversations relating to fathers’ engagement in recreational play with their children, and its impact on early childhood development. The study found a lack of content focused on the father/male caregiver role in guiding recreational play with their children, and the loudest voices within the conversation were found to be women.

“This further indicated to us, the need to bring to the fore the benefits of the male caregiver and encourage our father figures to connect with their children. Research shows that fathers who are involved from the beginning of their children’s lives establish a pattern of lifelong engagement, which not only contributes to positive physical, socioemotional, cognitive, and behavioural development during childhood, but enhances developmental outcomes later in life ₁.

“Through this campaign, we hope to inspire fathers to help children to develop a healthy sense of gender identity.  We want to equip fathers with skills and actionable tips that reinforce gender-equitable practices in the home,” says Payne.

Play serves as a crucial tool for fathers to connect with their children, creating a safe and relaxed environment that promotes bonding and trust. Through play, children can express themselves openly allowing fathers to gain insights into their interests and concerns. This also makes it easier to address difficult topics.

“Combining effective communication and problem-solving skills into playful interactions allows fathers to effectively impart valuable life lessons to their children,” adds Payne.

In fact, statistics show that fathers’ involvement is associated with increased emotional security in children. Children with engaged fathers are more likely to have greater self-esteem and reduced levels of depression and anxiety ₂.

Payne clarifies that when talking about fathers and male caregivers, South Africa has many ‘fathers’. “There is no typical father in South Africa; there are biological fathers, social fathers, young fathers, older fathers, self-identified fatherhood, ascribed fatherhood, long-distance fatherhood and proximal fatherhood, to name a few. The texture is rich by age, race, class, geo-type, ethnicity and family type and we all experience a wide canvas of fatherhood portrayals. In such a richly textured environment, we require sensitivity with this topic, that moves beyond simplistic interpretations.”

Historically, Takalani Sesame has been known to raise awareness on topics such as HIV health awareness, child abuse, and has challenged stereotypes on disability. It has been a catalyst for important conversations, and Payne sees this as yet another important topic which the beloved muppets can help address.

Through videos disseminated on social media, featuring Nicholas Goliath, Thabiso Mhlongo, Chris Forrest, Rivaj Ramjugernath, and Zikwe and the triplets, the campaign aims to encourage all father figures to realise the benefits and impact of childcare and involvement through play. Payne explains, “Engaged fathers contribute to children’s development through guided play, fostering creativity, engagement, and lifelong learning from early childhood.”  “Play is the natural language of childhood. Playing with a father figure is a gift to a child, as through play children imagine, express, explore and understand the world around them,” she explains.

“With these efforts, we hope to help children develop a strong sense of identity and confidence in who they are and their potential in society. Ideally, we want them to be compassionate citizens who challenge the cycle of gender discrimination, promote the rights of girls and boys, and advance gender equality,” concludes Payne.

All Takalani Sesame programming and content is based on rigorous research to ensure it achieves its desired impact. This social media campaign will roll out across Takalani Sesame’s social media pages, starting on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.  All parents and caregivers are encouraged to follow the journey on Facebook and YouTube using the hashtag #BondThroughPlay.