There are a multitude of benefits that can be achieved through the delivery of intergenerational play experiences. These include:
For the children:
- Socialisation skills and building friendships
- Engaging with elderly people
- Empathy skills – they learn gentleness
- Learning to be respectful.
For the parents/carers:
- Parenting chats
- Meeting other mums/dads/carers who value mixing with the elderly
- New ideas for activities to do at home – things that their childhood never included like the value of play.
For the residents:
- Neurological benefits, with recall memory
- Wards off isolation and loneliness
- Engaging in activities.
For more information on intergenerational play experiences see here.