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Spirit of Childhood & 'Bonding with Baby' Program
Bonding with Baby Program
Lismore Family Support,
October - December, 2007
Jane Hanckel assisted by Melanie Haire from Spirit of Childhood and Chereece Dixon from Lismore Family Support, facilitated a 9 week ‘Bonding with Baby’ Post Natal Support Playgroup in Lismore. The program took place during October, November and December 2007.
The aim of the playgroup program was to strengthen the mother-child bond, build parenting skills and provide an understanding of the developmental ages and stages of early childhood. Participants had previously been part of a post natal depression counseling group.
The supported playgroup sessions focused on developing self-esteem and resilience through the innovative use of arts and crafts. The Inspir=Ed Parenting Kits provided examples of ages appropriate art and craft activities for parents and children.
Each week a child-focused craft activity was introduced with the emphasis being on developing the confidence of both mother and child. The activities included making simple knotted dolls, handmade felt picture shape books, felt balls, fleece angel mobiles and as well as a more complex first doll for the baby.
Participants engaged with the activities and completed most projects with in the duration of the 2 hours session . A sense of great achievement was felt by participants. They became more confident, choosing and completing activities with a sense of satisfaction and empowerment.
Other craft activities undertaken were decorating with beeswax a candle and making a felt scarf for the older children.
The confidence and self-esteem of the participants improved over the duration of the program. One participant indicated that she might look at furthering her interest in art through a TAFE or university course. Most participants felt that they had missed out on the first important year of their child’s life as a result of their depression and that the program provided them with an opportunity to create ‘special memories’ for their children. The participants found that their children felt a unique bond with the toys that they had made.