Pune Hosts Urban 95 Kids Festival To Promote Free Play And Child Welfare
Pune Hosts Urban 95 Kids Festival To Promote Free Play And Child Welfare
The Urban 95 Pune Kids Festival 2024 was inaugurated on Thursday at Sarasbaug, marking the beginning of a four-day celebration focused on unstructured play and child welfare. The festival, a joint initiative by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and 20 Pune-based organisations, aims to provide a platform for children and parents to engage in creative, nature-based activities that promote physical and mental development.
The festival, running from December 19 to 22, features a range of activities for children of all ages, including games, educational sessions, and interactive performances. Experts believe that unstructured free play is essential for children’s development, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and resilience.
One of the highlights of the festival is a special “Play-Work” training session for Anganwadi workers, focusing on balancing structured and unstructured play. Aniket Motale, a biodiversity expert, conducted a session emphasizing the importance of connecting with nature.
Pune municipal commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale stated to the media person that the festival reflects the city’s commitment to child-centric urban development. Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B. P. emphasized the significance of unstructured play in young children’s development, saying that the festival provides an ideal environment for children to engage in various activities that nurture their physical, mental, and emotional development.
The festival aims to raise awareness about the importance of unstructured play and provide a platform for dialogue between parents, caregivers, designers, and officials to work together to improve urban spaces for children. By transforming public spaces into child-friendly environments, the initiative aims to foster community engagement and provide opportunities for physical activity and learning.
