YATSUSHIRO, KUMAMOTO PREF. ¨C A space for children to play was set up at an evacuation shelter in Kumamoto Prefecture after a powerful earthquake on July 28 forced nurseries and after-school care services in the area to suspend operations.
In the city of Yatsushiro, which suffered significant damage from the 7.1 magnitude quake, the second-floor space of a gymnasium at a city-run junior high school serving has served as a shelter. It is now being used as a play space for children, as well. In the space, equipped with games and cardboard beds, children ranging from elementary school to high school ages gather to chat or play card games.
¡°I feel like things have returned to normal (when I¡¯m here),¡± a 15-year-old high school girl said. A male high school student of the same age said that people are smiling more.
At the shelter, high school students are volunteering to look after younger kids. The play space was created with support from Tokyo-based nonprofit Chance For All, which supplied playing cards and board games, after evacuees called for a space to be created where kids can go to relax.
Kanta Kojima, 27, a member of the nonprofit, said he is worried about the trauma that children are experiencing. For example, instead of ¡°playing house,¡± as many children do, Kojima said that he saw preschool and young elementary school children ¡°play earthquake,¡± knocking over building blocks to simulate damage and saying phrases like ¡°call an ambulance¡± and ¡°give CPR.¡±
¡°They may have actually seen such scenes and emergencies,¡± Kojima said.
He said that playing may help kids process their emotions, as young children often struggle to express their feelings in words.
¡°People often say that there is no time to play in times of emergency, but playing is even more important now than before,¡± Kojima said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.