TODAY was child’s play for the Princess of Wales as she visited a centre for parents and children in Oxford.

Kate was at Home-Start Oxford to speak about the “everyday moments of love and connection” between parents and children and “lay foundations for lifelong social and emotional skills”.

Home-Start UK is preparing to roll out training based on The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Explainer Series to their 9,000-strong network of volunteers.

It is a national network of 175 charities providing free support for families across the UK including training is based around seven animated films which were released by Kate’s Centre for Early Childhood in August.

The films are designed to be used by people who work with babies, children and families.

The Princess joined a training session where volunteers view the films and discuss how they can put them into action.

Kate also took part in a “stay and play” session with carers and children, including games such as dressing up, tea parties, making play dough and craft.

One mother who met the princess said the encounter was meaningful.

She said: “It meant so much to be heard. I never imagined I’d be sharing my story with the princess — and she was so kind and genuinely interested.”

Katharine Barber, Chief Executive of Home-Start Oxford, who helped develop the animation series earlier this year, said the charity was honoured to welcome the princess.

She said: “It was such a pleasure to welcome The Princess of Wales and share the work we’re doing to support local families.

“Her genuine passion for children’s earliest years shone through in the thoughtful conversations she had with both our families and volunteers.

“The work of the Centre for Early Childhood resonates deeply with our ethos at Home-Start Oxford.

“Our home-visiting and group support is all about creating space for families to build those vital early relationships — something that can be incredibly difficult when you are facing additional pressures like financial strain, isolation, or poor mental health.

“That’s why our holistic approach to support matters so much, and why these animations will be such a powerful tool — empowering our volunteers, and in turn, empowering the families they support.

“We’re proud to be part of a project that celebrates the everyday moments that shape a child’s future.”

It comes as the Princess of Wales warned smartphones and screens are causing an “epidemic of disconnection” in an essay.

Kate published the essay after William revealed they won’t allow their three children to have mobiles.

Her 1,500 word essay reveals how she believes gadgets have become a “constant distraction, fragmenting our focus” preventing family time.

Kate has blasted “digital devices” saying they “promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite”.

It was published by the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School who she met while in Boston, USA, with William three years ago.

She warned that “we’re raising a generation that may be more ‘connected’ than any in history while simultaneously being more isolated, more lonely”.

Kate added: “We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.

“This technological interference strikes at something fundamental: our undivided attention is the most precious gift we can give another person.

“Yet, increasingly, it’s the most difficult gift to offer.

“When we check our phones during conversations, scroll through social media during family dinners, or respond to emails while playing with our children, we’re not just being distracted, we are withdrawing the basic form of love that human connection requires.”

Last week William revealed while being interviewed by Eugene Levy for The Reluctant Traveller show that George, Charlotte and Louis don’t have phones while Kate has previously spoken about restricting their “screen time”.

Kate wrote: “Look the people you care about in the eye and be fully there – because that is where love begins.”

It comes after Kate climbed inside a fully armed £100million fighter jetused in NATO defence against Putin’s Russia.

The princess even took the controls of a flight simulator and performed a loop the loop on her first visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, since becoming Royal Honorary Air Commodore in August 2023.