General News
13 August, 2024
Playgroup brings old and young together
Havilah residents will soon have the opportunity to mingle with the younger generation thanks to the first local intergenerational playgroup.
The aged care facility has partnered with Playgroup Victoria to help foster meaningful friendships between seniors and preschool children through arts and crafts, games, storytelling and much more.
The partnership is a continuation of Playgroup Victoria’s Helping Families Learn and Grow through Playgroup (FLAG) initiative, which endeavors to create more playgroups across the Central Goldfields.
“I love the idea of inter-generational playgroups because it does bring people together across three different generations or more,” Playgroup Victoria Central Gold-fields FLAG site officer Donna Parry said.
“You get to see those smiles, you get to see how people age and how people grow, and it just brings so much joy and engagement from everyone in the community.
“Havilah is going to be the first intergenerational playgroup in the Central Goldfields and I believe it’s a starting point to potentially set up similar playgroups throughout the rest of the community.”
Ms Parry said programs such as playgroups play a vital role in the development of the future genera-tion.
“Everyone has got their own cultures and experiences that they can share with these kids who are absorbing so much information,” she said.
“We do such a big portion of our learning in those early years, so it’s very important during pre-kinder for kids to interact with as many members of the community as they can.
“[Playgroups] are just a beautiful opportunity to be able to set children up with those skills of connection and interaction.”
The new program has been heavily inspired by the ABC hit series Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds, which saw participating residents improve their physical and mental wellbeing just by spending time with preschool children.
Havilah resident Mary Cumming said the series was thoroughly enjoyed by the residents, with many now excited for a similar program to be implemented at the facility.
“For me, it’s a no-brainer — some of the residents have children, grandchildren or great-grand-children that they never see,” she said.
“If you look at how well that program was received, most of the residents in here watched that and they loved it.
“They would miss bingo to watch it and that’s saying something big.
“It will be great to see the residents interact with the children or even just sit and watch them play and there would be smiles all round.”
Havilah’s Harkness Street site intergenerational playgroup will commence on Thursday, September 5 from 9.30 to 11.30 am.
All local families are invited to the weekly sessions with tea and coffee provided for parents and carers.
For more information about local playgroups, or to start a community playgroup, visit www.playgroup.
org.au or contact Donna Parry by emailing dparry@playgroup.org.au or call 0448 357 452.
