Play Resources and Equipment
These examples are just some of our carefully chosen play resources that stimulate a child’s natural curiosity, exploration, play and imagination.
Treasure baskets: developing natural inquiry, awe and wonder
Treasure basket play enables babies to investigate and explore a variety of everyday objects. These can include items such as wooden spoons, natural sponges, fabrics, stainless steel and scented items such as lavender bags. Treasure baskets and sensory toys are found in our baby and toddler rooms.
Physical play: increasing mobility and confidence
In our toddler and nursery rooms, the children enjoy the experience of physical activities with challenges. These activities enhance the child’s abilities, for example, natural climbers - challenging their increasing mobility and confidence.
Role play: Understanding the world
Role play areas provide children with activities and opportunities that reflect their personal experiences, both past and present. Examples might include a post office or hairdressers or shop. They are developed and extended by our staff team to reflect a child’s changing interests.
Through role play, children explore their understanding of the world, such as cooking at home or posting a letter. Children can engage with others, developing their skills and knowledge through play and interaction with other children as well as adults. The child begin to develop in many areas of learning such as; building their own self-esteem, confidence, their co-operation skills and this also gives them the opportunity to re-enact their past experiences.
Mark-making: developing early writing skills and creativity
Mark-making activities are available to all of our babies and children, both indoors and outdoors and at times, this might include making marks and pictures in the sand, cornflour or play dough. They will experiment with paper or card and with pencils, chalk or felt pens or paintbrushes, especially with water.
Mark-making is an excellent way to develop each child’s fine motor skills and early writing skills. Older children are able to play games that relate to the real world and this encourages these skills. For instance, they will be encouraged to write restaurant menus and shopping lists in the role play area, take the register or simply to use notebooks.
Blocks: developing imagination, creativity, mathematical and physical skills
All babies and children have access to all of the construction activities which include mini-blocks for their tiny hands and larger blocks for our 2-5 years old.
Block play helps each child to experiment with concepts such as design, balance, and building. It can also be used to support storytelling and role play, develop mathematical skills and allow children to act out all of their ideas.
Our block areas also include small world such as farm and wild animals, people, vehicles etc. to help extend play experiences. Outdoor block play may consist of crates, planks, tyres etc, A frame, that support our children to build and construct on a much larger scale. Sand and water play are set out each day.
Children learn individually as well as with others through ‘play.’ We offer our children a play-based curriculum which meets all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS Curriculum. This curriculum supports all aspects of each childs learning and development. We encourage their in-built curiosity and desire to make sense of their world around them. The most crucial point is that this will support them to discover for their future that learning is in fact 'interesting and fun!' This is crucial if children are going to remain - ‘keen learners’ for the rest of their lives.
Play in a secure environment with effective adult support enables the children to explore, investigate and enjoy their learning experiences.
We encourage them to practice and develop their ideas, concepts and skills in a unique and non-threatening way, without fear of failure. We deliver the Early Year’s Curriculum in a number of ways throughout each day.