With the objective of creating an emotional bond between children and their parents, Abhyudaya Nagar Mumbai Public School organised an impactful virtual event, titled ‘Family Day’ on the 7th of August. A yearly feature on the school’s calendar, this day of bonding, connection and fun was conducted virtually for the entire school – from Jr Kg to Grade 10. 

The parents of Akanksha students are typically daily wage earners, domestic workers, vegetable vendors and sanitation workers who earn a limited income to support a family of 5 or more. This often means long working hours, double shifts and many late nights. That’s why the school decided to prioritize one day where parents dedicate time and focus their energy on connecting and bonding with their children.

“The primary goal was to encourage parents and students to commit to spending time with each other. We asked parents to make a promise that they would do everything they’ve always been meaning to do but never had the chance to due to time constraints,” says Ashwini didi, Abhyudaya’s social worker.

Selfie Saturday with Abhyudaya’s Parents & Children 

This year’s theme was ‘Kuchh Meetha Ho Jayye (Let’s Celebrate with Sweets.)..Selfie with Family’. To make the day special and add an element of fun, the school asked children and their families to attend the event dressed in yellow, red or white. At the end of the day, the school’s families shared selfies of themselves enjoying a wonderful moment of sharing something sweet together. 

To emphasize the importance of family in a child’s life and highlight the significance of sharing feelings and thoughts with one other, the school team organised a meaningful bonding exercise. Parents and children were asked to reflect on questions like, ‘What is the importance of father and mother in your life?’, ‘What are 2 things you like about your family?’, ‘What is the importance of children in your life’ and so on.  “We have to remember that very often despite living together, we forget to thank each other as a family. The purpose of this exercise was to have children express their gratitude & respect for their parents, and bridge the communication gap between these two groups” adds Ashwini didi.

Family Day at the school also serves an added purpose by acting as a window into an Akanksha child’s life at home. This gives the school social work team a chance to better understand how the child is positioned and if the child is comfortable and secure at home. The social work team uses this as an opportunity to find ways of improving the child’s home environment and lifestyle by deeply engaging the parents. Ashwini didi throws light on the larger picture, “This is also why one of the objectives of Family Day is to have everybody pledge to having a violence-free home.”

We are proud of Ashwini didi and Bhagyashree didi for using such a simple tool to strengthen, support and empower the families of Akanksha!