Bring Childhood Back to Children. Sustainability Begins in Childhood.
EARLY CHILDHOOD DAY AT THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART
August 30, 2026 | 10 AM – 6 PM
On Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 10 AM to 6 PM, the Museum of African Art in Belgrade will become a space of shared play, understanding, and support – for children, parents, professionals, and all those who believe in the importance of early childhood.
The manifestation EARLY CHILDHOOD DAY, organized in cooperation with the Museum of African Art by the association Yellow Pants – Initiative for the Study of Childhood and Concept Incubator of Social Responsibility, is held this year for the sixth time, under the slogan “Bring Childhood Back to Children. Sustainability Begins in Childhood.” The event was created with the mission of drawing public attention to the crucial importance of the early, formative period – the time when the foundations of relationships with oneself, other people, and the world are laid. Early childhood is therefore not only a matter of individual child development, but one of the most important socially responsible tasks and a question of the future of society as a whole.
Play remains at the centre of Early Childhood Day, as it is the natural way in which a child learns, explores, builds relationships, and develops abilities. For a child to grow through play, it needs time, safety, a stimulating environment, and a community that understands the importance of this brief and unrepeatable life stage. Ecology in its original meaning speaks of home and the relationship of living beings with their environment, while sustainability raises the question of what kind of natural, social, and cultural world we are creating for future generations. The first environment of every human being consists of family, relationships, play, nature, culture, and community. In this first “ecology of childhood,” the child shapes the way it will understand itself, others, and its place in the interdependent whole that Maria Montessori described through cosmic education..
The encounter between Early Childhood Day and the exhibition “Recy: Art – Waste as Resource” offers an opportunity to view this idea through diverse craft objects. While the exhibition shows how discarded materials can gain new value and life, Early Childhood Day draws attention to childhood that today is often suppressed, accelerated, or prematurely replaced by the adult world. We want to return to childhood what naturally belongs to it: play, safety, relationships, nature, movement, imagination, time, and leisure – not as wasted time, but as a precious space for growth.
Dolls, toys, and artworks made from solid industrial waste naturally meet contemporary purposeful toys. A toy is not only an object of entertainment, but can be a bearer of culture, creativity, development, and values. From the play of children in African communities who made small animals and cars from discarded pieces of metal and plastic, a souvenir was born that carries the breath of imagination and the power to turn waste into a story of life. The sculpture of a child carrying a burden in the garden of the Museum of African Art, as well as other objects made of waste materials exhibited in the small hall of the Museum, open questions: what do we leave to children, what burdens do we place on their shoulders, and what do we wish to return to them?
As part of the program of EARLY CHILDHOOD DAY, the Museum of African Art organizes an author-led tour of the exhibition “Recy: Art – Waste as Resource” for adults, as well as a workshop for children aged 6 to 12 on recycling, “Recycling Preserves and Creates: The Colourful World of African Animals.” The opening of an exhibition of high school works within the program “Colours of Africa” will also take place. In the Museum garden, a developmental counselling centre will be presented with partners of Yellow Pants: Responsiveness – Responsive Parenting (Snežana Milanović), Sensorium – Cabinet for Early Intervention and Sensory Integration (Marija Kostić and Dragana Pešić), and the team of speech therapists from the Montessori Language project led by master speech therapist Zoran Škara and the Logospectra centre.
An important segment of the program is “Toys with Purpose,” the annual showcase of Yellow Pants which recognizes and awards developmental, inclusive, and socially responsible toys. This year’s featured toys include: Mancala (Museum of African Art), Azbuka Azbrka (Dušan Džopalić), Nesvesno, Iznebuha Faca, and Ključ with workshops (Revolucya), Veza and Veza Box (Bloom Toy, Jasmina Kuga), Picture books “Three Little Pigs,” “Goldilocks,” “Tom Sawyer Paints the Fence” (Piktoknjiga, Biljana Stojanović), Luka and Mia Learn Body Parts (Svetlana Božović, Bamboo Centre of Development), Kocka nam priča (Dragana Šolaja and Katarina Bosnić), Nido toy set with workshop (Tamara Gajić, Bubba Toys), Kalendarko sveznalko (Ana Gašević), Wooden Modular House (Marija Savić, Goya Workshop), Gifts provided by PINO TOYS.
Admission is free.
Program Schedule:
10-18 h | Garden
Developmental Counselling – Sensorium & Responsiveness
10-18 h | Garden
Speech Therapy Counselling – Zorana Škara & Logospectra
10-18 h | Garden
Play with Toys with Purpose
11-12 h | Small Hall
Guided Tour for Adults “Recy: Art – Waste as Resource”
11-13 h | Garden
Children’s Workshop “Recycling Preserves and Creates: The Colourful World of African Animals”
14 h | Large Hall
Opening of High School Exhibition “Colours of Africa”
15-18 h | Garden
Montessori Workshop Bubba Toys
16-18 h | Garden
Parent Workshop Smiljana Grujić, Novak Djokovic Foundation
The program connects art, play, children, parents, professionals, and socially responsible partners. Through the campaign “A Child’s World is Bigger than a Screen” and support for the initiative “Toys with Purpose” created by the association Yellow Pants, Telekom Srbija affirms the richness of direct experiences, exploration, movement, creativity, and relationships. Generali Insurance and The Human Safety Net, together with the Novak Djokovic Foundation, provide support to parents and families, recognizing that quality childhood is built by empowering adults who shape a child’s first environment. Visitors to Early Childhood Day will also have the opportunity to attend a parent workshop led by Smiljana Grujić from the Novak Djokovic Foundation. Special surprises for the youngest participants will be provided by Pino Toys.
The most important investment in a sustainable future is not only the resources we preserve, but the people who will manage that future. The greatest legacy we leave to children is therefore not only the planet, but also childhood itself – from which will grow individuals capable of understanding, loving, and protecting it.
About Yellow Pants
Founded in Belgrade in 2021, Yellow Pants– Initiative for the Study of Childhood and Concept Incubator of Social Responsibility is a non-profit organization dedicated to education from day one and promoting socially responsible practices. Its projects include the Festival of Socially Responsible Communication “Campaigns with Purpose”, the showcase “Toys with Purpose”, Early Childhood Day, and educational programs such as Montessori Language, Montessori Mathematics, and Montessori Ecology.
The event is supported by: Telekom Srbija, Generali Insurance – The Human Safety Net, while refreshments are provided by Rosa | Coca-Cola Company.
