{"id":331,"date":"2026-07-08T16:57:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=331"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:57:47","slug":"this-mandela-day-give-a-child-your-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=331","title":{"rendered":"This Mandela Day, give a child your time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director Education and Programmes at Sesame Workshop International South Africa<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Every Mandela Day, we are reminded to give 67 minutes to others. So, many of us donate, volunteer, collect, sort, drop off and generally show up for others. These acts of care, from providing food and shelter to offering practical support where it is needed most, are vital in meeting the immediate needs of vulnerable people and communities. But there is an additional way we can approach Mandela Day, which starts even closer to home – and that is by giving 67 intentional minutes to a child in our family, our home or our community.<\/p>\n

This may sound like a small gesture when compared to teams of people giving their time to package and distribute food parcels – but it\u2019s definitely not. Time and attention are among the most valuable things adults can give children, particularly in the early years when development is deeply shaped by relationships. According to\u00a0early childhood development guidance from UNICEF<\/a>, responsive caregiving, including talking, singing and playing with children, is central to their healthy development.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget this though, because we typically speak about investing in children in much bigger and more formal ways like education, nutrition, early learning programmes, literacy and school readiness. All of these are very important, but we must not overlook the fact that children are also nurtured in quieter and smaller ways – through conversation, play, routine, shared attention and the sheer joy of spending time with an adult who is fully present with them. Being present in this way is not an optional extra to the more \u201cserious\u201d developmental work; it is key to that serious work.<\/p>\n

This is why the phrase \u201cquality time\u201d is so dangerous. It sounds like a worthy undertaking, but it often ends up being a vague descriptor. It can even be slightly guilt-inducing, because it leaves adults feeling that unless they are coming up with elaborate activities, planning special outings or creating some hugely entertaining experience, they are falling short. Most families don\u2019t live like that. Life is busy, money is tight, people are tired and children are often being raised in the middle of many competing demands. The good news, however, is that children don\u2019t need elaborate and entertaining – they just need presence.<\/p>\n

This means that the 67 minutes we intentionally give to a child this Mandela Day don\u2019t have to cost money or take days of planning and preparation. They can be spent reading a book, cooking together, building a cushion fort, drawing, talking, going for a walk, kicking a ball, telling stories or simply listening intently to whatever a child wants to say. The value lies less in the activity itself than in the quality of the attention it provides to the child.<\/p>\n

For many parents and caregivers, this often feels easier said than done. Adults are navigating long work hours, pressure at home, transport challenges, financial strain and very little spare time. In those circumstances, it is easy to reduce care to provision alone. But children don\u2019t just need the basic provision, they need connection. They need adults who notice them, respond to them and make room for them in the middle of their busy everyday lives. This is why the\u00a0World Health Organization\u2019s nurturing care framework<\/a>\u00a0places responsive caregiving right up there with other child development priorities like health, nutrition, safety and early learning.<\/p>\n

This year, the timing of Mandela Day provides the perfect opportunity for giving a child the attention he or she needs, thanks to the FIFA World Cup. Big sporting events create excitement, anticipation and shared attention. That opens a door for connection – by watching a match together, kicking a ball outside, or talking about teamwork and goals. None of this is really about football. It\u2019s about using a moment of shared interest to be more present, engaged and available. In this way, the 67 minutes starts to feel less symbolic and more practical. It\u2019s a reminder that children don\u2019t only need us to look after them, manage them or organise their lives. They need to know that time with them is valuable to us too; not something we keep postponing until life becomes less busy.<\/p>\n

Mandela Day has always carried a simple challenge to do what you can, where you are, with what you have. That must continue to prompt us all to do good in our communities, but it should also remind us to honestly evaluate what the children close to us are receiving from us day to day. So, this Mandela Day, give your 67 minutes where they are needed. Then give another 67, or more, to a child.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director Education and Programmes at Sesame Workshop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThis Mandela Day, give a child your time - Stokvel Talk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=331\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Mandela Day, give a child your time - Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Mari Payne, Deputy Managing Director and Senior Director Education and Programmes at Sesame Workshop\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=331\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-08T16:57:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image001-58.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"274\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"332\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26\"},\"headline\":\"This Mandela Day, give a child your time\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T16:57:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331\"},\"wordCount\":800,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/image001-58.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=331\",\"name\":\"This Mandela Day, give a child your time - 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