At the request of Catholic Charities of Wayne County, the Wayne County Board of Supervisors recently proclaimed May 4 to be a countywide Day of Play.
Parents are encouraged to engage their children in free, imaginative play that day, said Inga Rojas, director of clinical services for Catholic Charities of Wayne County. Examples of such play include games of tag, Simon Says or Red Rover, or such activities as flying a kite or using sidewalk chalk. Catholic Charities staff members and representatives of The Strong National Museum of Play will be on hand at parks in Newark, Lyons, Palmyra and Macedon to provide information about the importance of play, and healthy snacks and play materials will be available free of charge to participants.
The Day of Play is part of Catholic Charities of Wayne County’s new Remember to Play initiative. Free, unstructured play helps children learn how to be adults, Rojas said. Such play allows children to learn to create rules, interact with other people, and learn about empathy and how to recognize feelings in other people, she added.
For more information about the Day of Play or Remember to Play, visit www.remembertoplay.org or contact Catholic Charities of Wayne County at 315-331-4867.
