This class in Dhaka, Bangladesh is part of a global experiment to bring play to kids.
At more than 513 “play labs” in Uganda, Tanzania and Bangladesh, kids participate a child-centered curriculum built by a team of global play scholars delivered in a space designed by architects, right down to the corners for stories, crafts and dreaming. The model, funded with $8.8 million from the Lego Foundation and Porticus, and delivered by BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, has been developed over the past three years and draws from BRAC’s over 40 years of experience developing schools for the poorest members of Bangladeshi society.
Wealthy parents worldwide send their children to preschools and nurseries that sound a lot like this one-places that incorporate research on child development and neuroscience to enable children to learn through play. But such opportunities are often unavailable for children in the world’s poorest communities, who are more often found at home with parents that are both too busy to play and unaware of its benefits to children, shaping the way they think and interact with the world.
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