More than child's play

A mass-media graduate, Ekta Mohanani Kamra, pursued retail with internationally renowned brands before  venturing into entrepreneurship. Given her retail experience, she first started her own clothing line, “White Peacock” and then, post motherhood, she found her calling in Hop N Bop, a runaway success in the westcoast.

What inspired you to come up with this concept?
Two years ago I stepped into motherhood. It made me realise that there was no place to entertain children. As a young mother I often saw myself scouting for places that would allow my child to enjoy his playtime whilst developing gross and fine motor skills, cognitive abilities, etc.

That is when I came up with the concept of a soft play area. This kind of play, while being safe, helps boost fitness levels using fun activities. It boosts physical, mental, emotional, and social skills. It also helps hone your child’s creativity and imagination. The best part is that children can enjoy it in any weather condition.

Why did you choose this location?
A plush area like Bandra-Khar has been deprived of soft play zones for a very long time because of which I thought of Hop N Bop. Of course, it is also because I stay here and know the place well.

Children learn while they play. Do you have any kind of methodology in mind or is it free play?
Hop N Bop is a soft play area–a safe, soft environment to allow kids to actively play and develop new motor skills such as learning to climb, balance, build blocks, and hone social skills by playing with other kids. This constructive downtime is equipped with a variety of game playing facilities for various age groups that stimulate and encourage children to think and make the most of this exploratory set-up.

How do you see this as benefiting children?
Scientific research points to how 90 per cent of the human brain develops in the first five years of our life. So, we have modules like ‘I know’, Spanish classes, ‘I can cook’, ‘Little explorer’, dance with zumba, and ‘Music n me’. We also have activity classes wherein children learn best with hands-on experience.

How are mothers  benefited?
We have our own cafeteria where mothers can chill while the children are having a ball of a time in our play area.