You may well have heard other parents or fellow educators talk about treasure baskets, and wondered what they are. Many people use these baskets as a fantastic way of stimulating interest in babies, and in creating a multi-level learning opportunity for them. But what exactly is a treasure basket? A treasure basket is a shallow …
Often the simplest things in play can be the best, and playing with treasure baskets is something that babies seem to find so enjoyable and get amazingly engrossed in. But have you ever wondered what they are actually learning? What are the benefits of using treasure baskets with babies? There are many benefits of using …
There are many skills that are central to science that are fostered by children engaging in loose parts play. Some key ones include: Investigating Exploring Creating and testing hypotheses Constructing and deconstructing ideas Engaging with the world around them. There are all sorts of experiments that children can try out using loose parts. Many of …
Loose parts play is one of the most exciting and versatile ways of getting children to become motivated, independent and excited about their learning. They become fully involved in what they are doing and develop their own ideas and sense of self. In this post, I am going to list 40 of my favorite loose …
Loose parts play comes with some small associated risks. As either an educator or parent it is a good idea to be aware of what these risks are, and how to either prevent or manage them. In an educational setting, you may also want to have some form of written risk assessment for any loose …
If you see children being engaged in loose parts play, you can see for yourself many of the obvious benefits. Children get really involved, much more often than in adult-led activities. They seem to be having fun, and surely learning at the same time. But have you ever wondered, what are the benefits of loose …
There are so many children these days that are obsessed with superheroes. Superhero play infiltrates everything: games involving the Three Little Pigs are suddenly invaded by the Hulk and Spider Man. Many practitioners are learning that superhero play is probably something better to work with, rather than stamp out. If the children are so passionately …
Tool play is so important for children, and develops many key skills and abilities. Using tools in forest school allows children to experience danger in the form of risky equipment. You can find out many more examples of risky play in this article. It helps them to manage risk, and become completely involved in the …
In preschool fun and engaging circle time games can teach many crucial skills that children can then use to deepen their play. Eye contact, turn-taking, understanding emotions, and listening are all key skills in life and they are reinforced during circle time! (As well as working through gross motor skills, cognitive skills, language development, social …
It seems kind of intuitive to us all that risky play comes with lots of benefits. When we see children climbing trees, rolling down hills, jumping off logs, and just generally having good physical fun, it just seems clear that good things are happening. But what are the main benefits of risky play? The benefits …