As part of the National Child Development Association’s (NCDA) growing up dolls program, the organisation has been working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to look at what can help children develop confidence, resilience, self-esteem and self-reliance when they are growing up.
The NCDA is in the process of designing a new programme, The Growing Up Dolls program, for the ages of 10-14, to help children feel confident and secure in the age of the internet and mobile phones.NCDA Chief Executive Manish Bhattacharya said the organisation is looking at ways to provide young children with support for their growing up and has also been looking at the possibilities of creating a growing up games programme.
The growing up doll is a fun activity for children and can be a fun way to introduce children to socialising, and there are also other activities such as dolls learning to cook, read and play.
Bhatticharya said NCDA was working with NCMEC to develop the growing up game and was looking at a programme that would be free for children to try.NCMec has also started a program called Growing Up Games for the age group of 14-16.
The program is focused on creating a positive, exciting and fun game environment for young children, according to NCMec Managing Director, Anjali Kumar.
The growing up toys are a new type of interactive toys, which can be given to children in the form of play sets, balls, puzzles, a game, a play room and a play space, Kumar said.
They are also available for children in preschool and elementary school.
“This is an exciting development, we have been thinking about this for quite some time.
NCMeescent and digital technology are all around us, but these toys are making a huge impact,” she said.
The programme will be launched soon in Tamil Nadu and the children will be given the opportunity to play the game with NCMs.
The NCDA also launched its growing up education programme, which was launched in January 2018.
The aim is to make the children of the world feel confident about their ability to grow up.