A STUDY OF INVOLVEMENT OF CAREGIVERS IN CHILDREN’S PLAY IN KIGALI, RWANDA

This paper was based on survey research design that aimed at examining caregivers' involvement in children's play in Rwanda. Random sampling technique was used to sample out 89 respondents from 4 different locations. The sample of the study included 40 caregivers, 40 children and 9 social workers in Compassion assisted projects. Compassion is non profit making organization. Data was collected through interview schedules and observation. The findings revealed that the most important variables that influence the perceptions of caregivers were the age of children and education background of caregivers. Majority of caregivers were more favourable to children's play, especially those children at a younger age. However, caregivers reported that as children grow older, they should take domestic chores and school work seriously rather than spending time in play. The more caregiver had formal education, the higher the likelihood that one would have a positive attitude toward children's play. Besides, the gender of children, age and also, the gender of caregivers were found to be less significant factors. This study has concluded that the more caregivers were knowledgeable on the importance of play, the more they were willing to facilitate children's play and the more they actively encouraged children to participate in play.