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THE newly opened children’s playground in Fangzhuang Sports Park in Beijing’s Fengtai District has added a heaving hubbub of exuberant youngsters to this otherwise sedate spot where local residents come to relax or take exercise. Built to accommodate the recreational demands of children born in the recent baby boom， the playground is amply equipped with swings， roundabout， sandpit， Thomas the Tank Engine， corsair， rotating plane， and a paddling pool. Three-year-old Lin Yitong is a regular visitor here.
“With equipment like this to play on， children today have every reason to be happy，” Yitong’s mother Wang Fang remarked.
China’s economic development has empowered the government to build the many children’s theme parks and clubs that have sprung up in recent years. It has also enabled parents to provide manifold sources of fun for their offspring.
Wang Fang was born in the late 1970s in Handan， North China’s Hebei Province.
“My only toy was the rag doll my mom gave me for my fifth birthday. In autumn I would happily play for hours with the fallen leaves in our yard，” Wang said. This memory is in sharp contrast to the play zone in Wang’s apartment， and the cupboard overflowing with Yitong’s building blocks， remote control gadgets， toys with flashing lights and music， and action figures modeled on TV cartoon characters.
A wave of nostalgia recently swept the Internet， apparent in shared recollections of the beanbags， slingshots， iron hoops， spinning tops， and marbles that people born in the 1970s played with during their childhood.
The dramatic changes in games and toys are attributable to the equally radical economic and demographic transformations China has experienced during 30-plus years of reform and opening-up. In 1978， China’s urban per capita disposable income was RMB 343.3. By 2012 this figure had soared 71-fold to RMB 24，565. Similarly， census data show that the average urban family in 1978 comprised 4.56 members， a figure that by 2010 had almost halved to 2.86 people per household； also that in 1982， only 599 people out of every 100，000 had received college education， a number that by 2010 had leapt to 8，930.
New Parenting Mode
The current 1-2-4 – one child， two parents， four grandparents – family structural norm will inevitably change due to relaxation of China’s birth control policy. But right now the sole child of the family， while apple of everyone’s eye， has no playmate. “Although our material needs are more than satisfied， I know that my little girl’s life is lonely without a sibling，” 37-year-old Zhang Lifen said. Zhang often networks with colleagues and friends that have children of a similar age to her nine-year-old daughter to organize gettogethers or outings where the youngsters can play together.
“I’m not looking for a place with multi-activities for kids. I just want her to have playmates her own age，” Zhang said.
Forums on certain websites are inundated with posts from parents seeking other families with children， often from different regions， to go on outings to the same destination.
“You can’t always find local acquaintances willing to go on outings， so online platforms are helpful. Besides， being with children from different regions gives my child the chance to learn about different customs and dialects， which is fun for him，” six-year-old Ji Zhe’s mom said. Beijing born and bred， Ji Zhe has already been to Gansu and Shaanxi with his mother and families from other regions.
The Internet provides multiple communication platforms. Parents benefit from this trend as it gives them easy access to a full range of parenting information and experiences. More importantly， it provides opportunities to meet other families in person and enjoy activities together. Wang Xiaoying， mother of two-and-half-year-old boy Yueyue， keeps a constant eye on such platforms.
“These activities are mostly free， and usually improving，” Wang told China Today.
Parenting forums on certain web portals often join hands with early childhood education institutes or children’s recreational centers in activities like parent-children games， drawing and handicrafts. They give children the chance to play with their peers and so develop social skills. This is particularly important for children below the age of three， because most kindergartens in China only accept children above that age. Until then， they are solely under parental care.
Yueyue’s family lives in Huilongguan Community of Beijing’s Changping District. His grandparents look after him while his parents are at work.
“Yueyue’s grandparents do well at taking care of his meals and other daily life needs， but less so at guiding him to control his emotions and develop social skills， or at tapping his intelligence potential，” Wang said.
Early Education， Happy Childhood
“With equipment like this to play on， children today have every reason to be happy，” Yitong’s mother Wang Fang remarked.
China’s economic development has empowered the government to build the many children’s theme parks and clubs that have sprung up in recent years. It has also enabled parents to provide manifold sources of fun for their offspring.
Wang Fang was born in the late 1970s in Handan， North China’s Hebei Province.
“My only toy was the rag doll my mom gave me for my fifth birthday. In autumn I would happily play for hours with the fallen leaves in our yard，” Wang said. This memory is in sharp contrast to the play zone in Wang’s apartment， and the cupboard overflowing with Yitong’s building blocks， remote control gadgets， toys with flashing lights and music， and action figures modeled on TV cartoon characters.
A wave of nostalgia recently swept the Internet， apparent in shared recollections of the beanbags， slingshots， iron hoops， spinning tops， and marbles that people born in the 1970s played with during their childhood.
The dramatic changes in games and toys are attributable to the equally radical economic and demographic transformations China has experienced during 30-plus years of reform and opening-up. In 1978， China’s urban per capita disposable income was RMB 343.3. By 2012 this figure had soared 71-fold to RMB 24，565. Similarly， census data show that the average urban family in 1978 comprised 4.56 members， a figure that by 2010 had almost halved to 2.86 people per household； also that in 1982， only 599 people out of every 100，000 had received college education， a number that by 2010 had leapt to 8，930.
New Parenting Mode
The current 1-2-4 – one child， two parents， four grandparents – family structural norm will inevitably change due to relaxation of China’s birth control policy. But right now the sole child of the family， while apple of everyone’s eye， has no playmate. “Although our material needs are more than satisfied， I know that my little girl’s life is lonely without a sibling，” 37-year-old Zhang Lifen said. Zhang often networks with colleagues and friends that have children of a similar age to her nine-year-old daughter to organize gettogethers or outings where the youngsters can play together.
“I’m not looking for a place with multi-activities for kids. I just want her to have playmates her own age，” Zhang said.
Forums on certain websites are inundated with posts from parents seeking other families with children， often from different regions， to go on outings to the same destination.
“You can’t always find local acquaintances willing to go on outings， so online platforms are helpful. Besides， being with children from different regions gives my child the chance to learn about different customs and dialects， which is fun for him，” six-year-old Ji Zhe’s mom said. Beijing born and bred， Ji Zhe has already been to Gansu and Shaanxi with his mother and families from other regions.
The Internet provides multiple communication platforms. Parents benefit from this trend as it gives them easy access to a full range of parenting information and experiences. More importantly， it provides opportunities to meet other families in person and enjoy activities together. Wang Xiaoying， mother of two-and-half-year-old boy Yueyue， keeps a constant eye on such platforms.
“These activities are mostly free， and usually improving，” Wang told China Today.
Parenting forums on certain web portals often join hands with early childhood education institutes or children’s recreational centers in activities like parent-children games， drawing and handicrafts. They give children the chance to play with their peers and so develop social skills. This is particularly important for children below the age of three， because most kindergartens in China only accept children above that age. Until then， they are solely under parental care.
Yueyue’s family lives in Huilongguan Community of Beijing’s Changping District. His grandparents look after him while his parents are at work.
“Yueyue’s grandparents do well at taking care of his meals and other daily life needs， but less so at guiding him to control his emotions and develop social skills， or at tapping his intelligence potential，” Wang said.
Early Education， Happy Childhood