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The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

A Week of Play Based Learning – Ideas, Activities and Inspiration

by The Empowered Educator 10 Comments

Welcome to a new year of my weekly play based learning posts. It is my aim to inspire, support and encourage both parents and educators to provide simple budget friendly play experiences for children under 5 . Each week I'll take you on a journey through some of the activities I shared with my home daycare children the previous week.

If you are a parent, grandparent or carer be sure to read through “What am I learning?” section at the end of this post as parents are often surprised at the depth of learning children experience just through play and interaction with simple activities. All my activities aim to be budget friendly and often use bits and pieces from around the house or recyclable materials – they are also easy to set up and pack away because I too am a Mum and I know you have little time to waste on setting up fancy activities that they might not even play with! And just quietly they are so easy that you will never look silly when the kids want you to join in 😉

Most of the activities are easily modified for both toddlers and preschoolers as I provide a program of activities for a multi age group each day…so they just have to be!

If you are an early childhood educator be sure to think about your relevant learning frameworks and how the following activities might fit into areas of learning. If you have any questions about how I would link to certain outcomes or elements just ask in the comments section below.

So, let's take a walk through last week at Jode's Family Day Care….

Sand and water.

We had quite a bit of rain over the previous weekend so this led to a renewed interest in all things sand and water. There were puddles of water to be found all over the yard, secret bowls and cups and containers were now filled with rainwater and just waiting to be mixed and scooped and poured into sand. Leaves and cumquats had fallen off the trees in a storm but made perfect additions to the baking. Nature had provided a glorious bounty to play with…the children's imaginations did the rest!

The sandpit was full of lovely wet sand just perfect for building with and we marvelled how quickly it dried and became soft again in the afternoon after the sun came out. There were many opportunities for conversation and problem solving as we played.

Some questions we explored…

“Why is it easier to build with wet sand?”

“What can wet sand do when building with it?”

“Can we use it to stick things together?”

“How does it dry?”

“How does the wet sand feel different to the dry sand? “

When Ruby became frustrated that her sandcastle wouldn't stay up I took the opportunity to explore some of the questions above as we played. The rest of the group joined in and in the end after adding water we made some fantastic sandcastles!

This led to a wonderful group activity with some wet sand and our favourite outdoor blocks. Buckets were filled, shovels were found and a bricklaying station was in operation. Toddlers worked along side older children to mix up a brickie's slurry and ‘stick' the bricks together.

“Quick it's going to fall, we need another one here”

“That sand needs more water now”

“What colour brick is that on the top?”

“Can we count how many bricks we have now?”

“How could we make it stop wobbling?”

“What do bricklayers build in our community?”

Teamwork toward a common goal….

Bet you've never seen a frill neck lizard, a dinosaur and a lion in the same place before…why is that? Again, so much to explore!

“Where do the lizards live?”

“What sound does a lion make?”

“Why aren't there dinosaurs anymore?”

This led to more animal play and exploration inside. The boys used the wooden hollow blocks to make a ‘zoo' for all the animals so ‘everyone can see them”.

 Sensory Fun

Sensory play is always so much fun and I enjoy finding ways to introduce children to this form of play. I firmly believe that the more exposure children have to messy, sensory play when young the fewer sensory processing issue they will have as they grow older. Something to consider for all that work and play with children.

We focused on circles and big and small during this activity.  First the children helped me to collect some sand from the sandpit, then we added some edicol dye powder and I handed out the spoons, the more they mixed the more colour they could see!

We marvelled at the circles made on their paper after stamping in some PVA glue. When they were happy with their circle picture it was time to scoop and sprinkle some coloured sand over the top. Some were very precise, some covered the whole page. I then showed how to shake the page so that the excess sand fell off into the bowl.

And they were amazed that their circles had now become colourful! When dry these pictures are fun to run little fingers over to feel the bumps. I suggest doing this activity on some thin cardboard if possible as paper doesn't handle the weight well.

More sensory fun with shaving foam provided another opportunity to experiment with our colour mixing skills

Foam, foil, brushes, fingers….fantastic!

 Exploring our Environment

We spend a lot of time playing outside and the children always notice so many things in their natural environment….this is our “magic beanstalk!” and has been the focus of many conversations over the past week.

I wonder how tall it will grow? Who planted it? Do you think there is a giant in the clouds?

The children helped me to mulch the veggie garden and we picked some of the red tomatoes. Why do we mulch? How many handfuls can you get? Can you pick me 3 red tomatoes?  There are always possibilities for learning even when doing the simplest of tasks!

We watched the Eastern Rosellas balancing on the corn stalks to eat their breakfast….what colours can you see? “What are they eating?

Peek a boo!

And there were eggs to collect, I had forgotten for a few days so we had a lot of eggs to count and transfer into cartons. Lucky I had helpers who enjoy counting and sorting into big and small groups.

 Fine Motor Fun with Natural & Recyclable Materials

I love to incorporate materials from nature into our play whenever I can and I also like to find other uses for materials we already have so this activity covered all bases!

Some gumnuts the children had helped to collect from underneath the gumtrees added to some cut pieces of pool noodle and a few bamboo offcuts and we had a fun fine motor activity.

Can you fit the gumnuts into the holes?

Can you show me shortest to longest?

We used our face parts stones, some necklaces and material offcuts for hair and some pebbles to make all sorts of funny faces. Are they happy, sad or grumpy?

The stones are just smooth landscaping pebbles from Bunnings, facial features using this fab printable from Picklebums  and pasted onto the rocks using a watered down PVA glue. I then did another PVA wash all over the pebble to seal. Making the stones was a previous weekend project with my girls and they enjoyed being part of the process.

There is always a new use for an old thing especially when it comes to play!

Using our large muscles

Using our big muscles and practising our balance, coordination, control and new skills outside is an important part of our day. The obstacle course was a favourite last week and was rearranged in some way each day by the children to suit their play needs.

Favourite outdoor game would have to be our 'round the clothesline colour game'. We sang round and round and round we go and when I stopped singing the children had to find a coloured stepping stone and freeze. When I called their name they had to tell me which colour they were standing on. The older girls helped the younger ones to identify a colour.

This game seriously could have gone on forever but there is only so many times you can sing the same song and hear the same squeals. I know you understand!

All of these activities were fun, have been easy to put together and yet have incorporated many learning concepts. Let's take a look at a few below.

What am I Learning?

• How to work together as a team and take turns
• How to use words and sentances to ask questions and solve problems
• An appreciation for animals and natural materials in their immediate environment
• Listening to and following simple directions
• Recognising and naming colours
• Letter recognition and reading
• Exploring with the senses and talking about what is touched, smelled, heard or tasted
• Sequencing, number recognition, basic counting, sorting and classifying
• Staying with a task until a desired outcome is achieved
• The principles of cause and effect
• The job of a bricklayer and how he/she works in our community
• Exploration of facial features and their positions as well as showing different emotions and a sense of self
• Strengthening fine and gross motor muscles
• Creative self expression
• Being aware of using natural and recyclable materials and why we use them.
• Spatial awareness and the concepts of big/small

 Can you think of any more?

If you enjoyed this post why not pin it on Pinterest .

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.

Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

14/01/2015 at 12:24 pm

How inspirational and lovely!

16/01/2015 at 2:18 am

Thanks lovely Rachel xx

09/02/2017 at 7:55 am

Amazing jode ,I love ❤️ looking at your site

28/02/2017 at 12:10 pm

Thanks so much for the lovely feedback Colleen x

30/04/2017 at 8:09 am

Ive been in child care a long time and your ideas make me come back to some great basics using whats at hand not whats on sale….. thankyou.

02/05/2017 at 9:36 am

I’m so glad to hear that Michelle! The simple basics just modified and used in different ways are always the best I think. Save educators lots of money too which is always a plus in this job!

20/11/2017 at 10:09 pm

Fantastic ideals!

20/02/2019 at 5:42 pm

I am at home at the moment with my foot up, as I fractured it during the school holidays. Today I discovered your wonderful website and inspirational ideas and now I can’t wait to get back to my Kindy class so I can implement some of them. Thanks for providing me with the motivation and inspiration to get moving soon!

10/06/2020 at 4:34 am

Hi Jode, I am home based learning provider and was searching the internet for new ideas on activities to do with the little ones. I clicked on your site and I am wow-ed. While reading, I wanted to be a child in your day care and be part of all these wonderful experiences. God bless you Elvira from Kenya

04/01/2023 at 5:53 pm

Huge creative ideas from you mind, encourage me to learn from you. You are fabulous

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Entering and sustaining play

“Play is some of children’s most important work,” said Fred Rogers. Those caring for children know the importance of play. How can we support play?

We also know there are many steps in developing play. Two important aspects of play for young children are entering play and sustaining play. Entering play comes naturally to some children, while others may need guidance and encouragement. How can we support play?

Developmental ability

Get to know the children you care for -- their abilities, personalities, needs, and interests. Each child is unique and may need different support for play. It's important to be familiar with all areas of development: cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and family/culture.

Using observation and information gathered from the families can be beneficial. If possible, develop portfolios or folders that share examples of the children's work over time. Save art work, writing/drawing samples, and your observation (notes, photos, checklists, etc.) that demonstrate the child's development. Knowing each child's developmental ability and unique characteristics will help in choosing appropriate materials and creating appropriate environments and experiences.

Play environment

Get down to the level of the children you care for and look around (or up!) at the surroundings. Does it look inviting? Is it easy to maneuver? Walk through your play areas and see how many children can fit there. Will the space support caring for mixed ages? Pull out materials and see if they fit in the play space. This is a good time to check for too much space. Open paths can often cause running. The space should be comfortable and flow from one area to another, yet each area of play should be well defined.

Are there enough choices and materials to support quality play? Are the materials thought- provoking, interesting, and developmentally appropriate? Having enough material to share and duplicate items for young children is important. The environment is a teacher. Take time to observe how and where the children play in your environment and whether or not changes need to be made.

Entering play

An important part of your job is modeling positive play skills throughout your day with children. You can do this in conversation, role play, stories, or problem-solving actual play experiences. A good start is to greet children warmly with open invitations to play: "Hi, Sarah, I'm glad you're here today. Let's look around and see where you would like to play today." Remember to communicate with children at eye level and use their names. Helping children "settle in" supports entering play.

Tips for modeling play skills

• Preschoolers may need guidance in solving conflicts: "It looks like there is a problem. Sam, tell Pete what you wanted to say. Pete, what did you want to say?" or "This looks like we need to think about it. What can we do? What might be a good choice?"
• Encourage children to invite others into play: "Your building looks great! Do you need any help? Who do you want to ask?" or "Look, Sally is feeding the babies. Let's go ask her if we can help. Sally, can Anna and I help feed the babies?"
• Role-play scenarios with little toy people, animals, or puppets. Create situations that occur in the group to help children solve problems: "The elephant took the zebra's truck. What should he do?"

Sustaining play

Once play has taken its course, observe how you can keep the play going. Does the play require more props or materials? Does the space need to be adjusted? Would it be beneficial to guide the play with open-ended questions or simple suggestions? Be careful not to interrupt the play. Sometimes it's best to just observe and stand back. This is a great time to take notes. This is also a good time to read the children: Are they tired? Do you recognize any signs of frustration?

Providing these solid foundations will allow children to experience their most important and vital work -- play!

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23 Open-Ended Play Ideas

An Infinite Number of Open-Ended Play Ideas

If you are wondering what open-ended play is, put simply, it means that children are allowed the time and space to play with resources, following their own creative ideas and interests. 

In open-ended play, there is generally no pressure or expectation of an end result or product. 

Sometimes, this is described as a process versus outcome. It is all about children having the time and the space to explore a process as they play and learn, rather than having to work towards producing something. 

Our courses  Project Loose Parts ,  Outdoors on a Budget , and  Urban Forest Environments  help foster open-ended play.  Check them out today!

Think of the work and journey of a great artist. When they are learning about their craft, they take the time to make many, varying sketches, they learn how to blend colors to find the best possible shades, they look at their subject from different angles and perspectives, and they try out different brush strokes and techniques. They may look at other great artists for inspiration but in the early years of study they are working on the process, learning without pressure to produce a finished masterpiece. This is a good metaphor for open-ended play. 

A Teacher or Guide is Important for Open-Ended Play  

A good teacher or facilitator is key to this process. A key adult who knows how to provide the right materials, when to step back and let the children practice, when to intervene with new ideas or prompts and when to let the children find out for themselves through a process of trial and error.

This is exactly what our young children need. Time and space to actively play, follow their imaginations and be as creative and experimental as they can possibly be. However, this should not be thought of as a free-for-all. Children still need adults around to set up an enabling environment where there are enough of the right resources to allow skills to develop. Adults should be able to step in when help is required and to step back when children are engaged and learning on their own.

There is well-documented evidence that recently, employers are dissatisfied with recent school graduates who have been taught so rigidly, they are unable to use any initiative, think creatively or use common sense. This is largely because we haven’t allowed those children the opportunities to take part in open-ended activities where they can explore and experiment with new ideas, developing confidence to have a go at anything.

If you want to learn more, check out more information on  open-ended play at home . 

To develop our children fully, to make sure they grow and learn with confidence, creativity, wonder and problem-solving skills, you can start to use this approach easily by following the ideas below.

Some Open-Ended Play Ideas

All of the following ideas can be adapted to suit different spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Use your own creativity to adapt the ideas and resources and you will soon be seeing your children blossom with creativity and inquiry and enthusiasm.

Builder’s yard play

What you need:

• A large amount of good quality wooden blocks 
• A large space.
• Containers to store the blocks.

A good quality set of blocks is one of the most open-ended resources you can provide. If you invest in a good amount of 3D blocks like the sets available from community playthings, for example, you will have a resource that lasts for years. Polished wooden blocks can be expensive but they are well worth the investment. Here are some of my favorite block sets:

Melissa & Doug’s Solid Wood Blocks  

Haba Basic Set of Building Blocks  

Haba Extra Large Blocks  

However, if you can’t afford to buy a set of ready-made blocks, there are lots more inexpensive ways of adding resources to your builder’s yard:

• Firstly, collect as many boxes as you can (cardboard boxes – put all those Amazon boxes to use, gift boxes, or anything else.  Find as many shapes and sizes as possible!)
• Then add tubes.  Things like: pringle containers, foil interior cardboard tubes, the interior tube of masking tape and or wrapping paper, and large carpet tubes.  Again, try to collect as many different sizes as possible.
• If you are using cardboard building materials rather than wooden blocks, you will need to add joining materials to your area such as masking tape, string, or other tape

Many children still love block play when they have long passed kindergarten. This is the space where our future architects, town planners, mathematicians and surveyors can all develop their thinking skills!

There are an abundance of mathematical skills inherent in block play, for example:

• 2D shape and 3D shape recognition, 
• Sorting and matching
• Non-standard and standard measures

Prompts for builder open-ended play

If you want to, you can add prompts or “provocations” to lead the children’s play in a particular direction, such as pictures of interesting buildings like churches, skyscrapers, mosques, or palaces. But remember – these are prompts. If the children come to the builder’s yard with their own plan to build something else, always go with their interests first. 

In this area, you will see children measuring one block against another and matching blocks to find the right shapes. They will inevitably make mistakes and buildings will come tumbling down, but this is all part of the learning process. If the play seems to have come to a dead end, you can suggest ideas, and help children to think of new ideas, but be careful not to lead the play. There is so much to learn in the process of building without the pressure of producing a finished model. And if they do create a fabulous model – what a bonus!

Artist area 

Young children have the most amazing imaginations when they are given the time and space to use them. I don’t believe we ever grow out of being creative. We might not have used the creative part of our brains for a while, it but it is still buried within us, waiting for the right opportunity. Open-ended opportunities for art never fail to amaze me with what the children are capable of thinking up and producing. 

What you will need:

• Paintbrushes : thin, thick, paste brush, scrubbing brush, nail brush
• Papers : various sizes, different colored paper, different textured papers (card, foil, tissue, sugar)
• Paint : ready mix or powder paint, black, white, and primary colors.
• Tubs of Water for mixing 
• Easel  and a table with a flat surface.
• Aprons 

This is the area that traditionally, we most love to see a finished product so you may have to remind yourself about the benefits of open-ended play a few times. We may also sometimes feel pressure from parents to have a finished picture to take home at the end of the session, but if we are truly provided open-ended play opportunities, that may not always be possible. Try to explain to your parents that the children are in the process of learning and it is better for them to try out ideas, experiment, and be truly creative than to paint a template. I like to display the quote below to remind me why we use an open-ended approach.

If you cut it, draw it, or make it for me, 

the only thing I learn is that you can do it better than me.

Most children like to make random marks when they first begin painting and then quickly move on to covering the whole of the paper. They may also want to paint their own hands. This is a stage of development and is all part of the learning process. It’s messy, of course, but children often have a physical need to do it so go with it… let them experiment. 

Allow children to make their own choices about paper, paint, and brushes. This builds confidence. Let them experiment and explore. If something isn’t working too well, or a child is getting frustrated you can intervene and make suggestions, but otherwise, try to let the child play and create themselves. 

Prompts for Art Open-Ended Play

You may want to add photographs or pictures for inspiration. For example, you could add pictures of rainbows or sunsets, or maybe something the children are interested in, but if they choose to paint their own creations, if you are following an open-ended approach, that is enough.

Writers Corner

This is the area where children develop their mark-making and writing skills. You may find that this area isn’t as popular as other areas of play, especially with younger boys, but that is fine. Continue to provide the materials and let the children experiment and explore with the writing process. They can also take the writing materials to other areas if they need to.

• Pot of  pencils  
• Pot of  pens
• Pot of  crayons  
• Scotch tape
• An  alphabet freeze / letter wheel / alphabet strips.
• Post-it notes
• Note pads / diaries / lists

Depending on which stage your children are at, this area can need replenishing regularly and it can get costly as some children may make lots of random marks and scribbles at first. If you find you are getting through a lot of paper, use recycled envelopes and paper wherever possible. Ask around for donations of junk mail or old cards and recycle them by adding them to your area. A writer’s corner should be all about exploration and experimentation. Allow the children to write and draw in any way they choose without restrictions. 

Prompts for Writing Open-Ended Play

Invitations, real letters, cards, shopping lists, recipes, old typewriters, or keyboards.

If you have children who don’t choose this area, it is sometimes worth placing an adult in the area to model real writing. Not all children see this skill in practice anymore as parents tend to use their phones for everything. They may never have seen an adult use a pen to write a letter or draw a picture. Once you have shown them what the process of writing actually looks like, step back and let them explore the process for themselves.

Small world

This is the area for all budding storytellers, writers, and future creatives like advertisers and animators. Children should be able to literary build their own world in this area.

You will need:

• A good floor space
• A low table 
• Several boxes
• Large pieces of colored fabric
• Baskets or boxes containing:
• Toy figures (fantasy and real life)
• Toy animals (farm, zoo, pet, fantasy)
• Props (toy trees, a few cars, fences, pebbles, childproof mirrors
• A selection of 3D wooden blocks

Set up the area by placing a few boxes on the low table and on the floor and then covering them loosely with fabric to create mountains and lowlands as a backdrop for a world. 

Some children may choose this area to retell a favorite story, others may create their own world from scratch. Children generally play out whatever they need to so if they are repeating a story, it will be because they need to. Repetition is important for young children to consolidate new ideas. Try not to steer the play in the direction you think it should go. Let the children lead the story. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t always follow the traditional conventions of a story. Some children may need to tell a story about something that is happening in their life at the moment. Try and tune in, and play alongside without your own ideas dominating the play if you can. This is a lot more difficult in practice than it sounds. We are all conditioned to tell stories with certain conventions and have expectations about beginnings, middle, and ends, but if you let the children be truly creative, they will come up with some amazing ideas of their own. I promise. 

Prompts for “Small World” Open-Ended Play

• Add some favorite story books to the areas.
• Add a few drops of essential oil like lavender for a sensory play experience.
• Add soothing background music.
• Add finger puppets 

By providing plenty of interesting resources and allowing the children to make choices, they will be inventing and creating in no time.

Music and movement

All young children need to move and be physical every day. It is a crucial part of their development and essential for their wellbeing. 

Providing a music and movement area will develop skills of creativity, flexibility, agility, working together, listening skills, pattern and rhythm skills and that’s just for starters! Think future dancers, singers, athletes, and even songwriters. 

• A good space
• Percussion instruments  
• Ribbon sticks  
• Some mats  
• Floaty scarves
• Beanbags  
• A music source (I-pod / tape recorder)

It’s amazing how creative young children can be with their bodies. They don’t have the same inhibitions as us and can really let themselves be free. Try to find a good amount of space where the noise isn’t too distracting to other children nearby. If you can, this area can work really well outdoors. Then, just let the children play, dance, sing, stretch, roll, crawl, tap and beat… whatever they need to do. 

Prompts for Music Open-ended Play

• Pictures of dancers from around the world.
• Photographs of ballet dancers, pole vaulters, pop singers, masked dancers, gymnasts, trapeze artists.
• Add a stage made from a few pallets.

Let the play develop naturally. You may need to model using the percussion instruments if the children haven’t come across them before, but once they know how to use them, step back and let them have fun. 

Closing Words on Ideas on Open-Ended Play  

Lots of young children don’t like to be confined to one area so it’s important that they are allowed to choose where they play. If they are in the transportation stage, you may well see them carrying resources from one area to another. Don’t try to stop them unless it is going to cause a major problem. If they have an idea they are working on, they may need to use an item from another area. For example, a child engrossed in world building in the small world area may want a few more blocks from the builder’s yard for their house, or a child engrossed in the builder’s yard may want to get some paper and a pen from the writing area to make some notes or plans and that is fine. We want to develop children who have the confidence to transfer skills to different areas – and that is what employers are asking for too!

Open-ended play is about providing the time, space, and resources so that deep-level learning can take place. We need to allow children those opportunities. A well-organized environment with clear labels and containers will help children know where the resources belong. If this is in place, then they can help to tidy up. 

Overall, open-ended learning should be fun. If children are following their own interests, they will always be more motivated to learn.

Keeping it fun is the way to go!

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Home caregiver settings provide a nurturing and caring environment for young children. It is essential to understand the importance of play and activity in this environment to ensure that children have access to various activities that can support their physical, mental, and emotional development. This article will discuss the significance of play and activity in a home caregiver setting and how it can benefit children.

Play and activity are the foundation of learning and development for young children. It is through play that children learn about the world around them, explore their environment, and develop essential skills that they will carry throughout their lives. Play also helps children build their self-esteem and confidence, which is vital for their emotional and social development.

Physical Development

Play and activity are essential for a child's physical development. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can offer various opportunities for children to engage in active play, such as running, jumping, and dancing. Outdoor activities such as nature walks, gardening, and water play can help children develop gross motor skills and strengthen their muscles. Indoor activities such as yoga, dance, and obstacle courses can improve balance, coordination, and flexibility.

Child care services such as Busy bees also encourage children to engage in fine motor activities such as drawing, painting, and threading beads. These activities help children develop hand-eye coordination and improve their grip strength. Children can also improve their dexterity by playing with building blocks, puzzles, and playdough.

Mental Development

Play and activity are crucial for a child's mental development. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can provide children with activities that help them learn and grow. For instance, caregivers can incorporate activities encouraging children to learn about colours, shapes, and numbers. Storytelling, reading books, and engaging in imaginary play can promote language development and improve communication skills.

Caregivers can also provide activities that challenge children's cognitive abilities, such as puzzles and games. These activities help children develop problem-solving skills and encourage them to think critically. Science experiments and cooking projects can also promote a child's understanding of cause and effect and encourage experimentation.

Emotional Development

Play and activity are crucial for a child's emotional development. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can create an environment that promotes positive emotional development. Caregivers can provide opportunities for children to express themselves through art, music, and movement. These activities can help children process and communicate their emotions, improve their self-esteem, and encourage them to build positive relationships with others.

Caregivers can also encourage children to engage in role-playing and imaginary play, which allows children to explore different emotions and develop empathy. Encouraging children to work together in groups or pairs can help build social skills and a sense of belonging.

Benefits of Play and Activity

The benefits of play and activity in a home caregiver setting are numerous. The following are some of the ways in which play and activity can benefit children:

Encourages Creativity: Play and activity can help children develop their creativity and imagination. Caregivers can provide children with various materials and resources, such as paints, clay, and musical instruments, to explore and create. Through these activities, children can learn how to plan and organise their ideas and gain skills in self-expression.

Enhances Problem-Solving Skills: Play and activity can help children develop problem-solving skills. Activities such as puzzles, building blocks, and science experiments require children to think critically and come up with solutions to problems.

Promotes Social Skills: Play and activity can help children develop social skills. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can provide opportunities for children to interact with their peers, take turns, share, and develop problem-solving skills. This can help children learn to get along with others, cooperate, and work as a team.

Improves Academic Development: In addition to the benefits mentioned above, play and activity can also have a significant impact on a child's academic performance. Research has shown that children who engage in regular physical activity have better academic outcomes and higher cognitive performance. Active play and physical activity can help children stay focused, improve their memory, and enhance their learning abilities.

In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can incorporate activities that promote learning and academic development. For instance, caregivers can create a learning centre that includes educational games, puzzles, and books that children can use to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. Caregivers can also create an art centre that encourages children to engage in creative activities that improve their cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills .

In addition to physical activity and academic development, play and activity can also have a significant impact on a child's emotional well-being. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can create an environment that promotes emotional development and encourages children to express their feelings. For instance, caregivers can provide a quiet area where children can relax, read, or meditate. They can also create a sensory play area that includes materials such as sand, water, and playdough that children can use to soothe themselves and regulate their emotions.

Holistic Development in Children

Caregivers can also use play and activity to teach children important life skills such as time management, organisation, and responsibility. For instance, caregivers can create a chore chart that assigns age-appropriate tasks to each child. This can help children develop a sense of responsibility and accountability and learn how to manage their time effectively.

Furthermore, play and activity can also help children develop a sense of independence and self-confidence. In a home caregiver setting, caregivers can provide children with opportunities to make their own choices and decisions. For instance, caregivers can offer a variety of toys and materials and allow children to choose which ones they would like to play with. This can help children develop their decision-making skills and build their self-esteem and confidence.

Overall, play and activity are essential components of a home caregiver setting. Caregivers can use play and activity to promote physical, mental, and emotional development in children. For instance, Busy Bees and other similar centres provide children with a variety of activities that cater to their interests and abilities, caregivers can help children learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment.

The importance of play and activity in a home caregiver setting cannot be overstated. Play and activity are essential for a child's physical, mental, and emotional development, and can have a significant impact on a child's academic performance and life skills. Caregivers can use play and activity to create an environment that promotes learning, socialisation, and emotional well-being, and helps children build their self-esteem, confidence, and independence. By prioritising play and activity in a home caregiver setting, caregivers can help children thrive and reach their full potential.

Continue to: Developing Interpersonal Skills in Children Screen Time for Children

See also: Top Tips for Surviving the School Holidays Transform Your Backyard Into A Kids Play Zone How Board Games Can Aid Learning in Early Development Years

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Sample Essay On Play Activity Childcare Assignment

The chief motive of assigning the students with Play Activity Childcare Assignment is to provide them with familiarity as well as practical skills to promote child development. To understand the concepts of childcare education and play activities, the students need to study about the factors correctly.

It includes the interaction, opportunities, familiarity, well-being, healthcare, and many other factors which promote the play activities in the childcare. By preparing a tough play activity assignment under childcare assignments, the students can learn about the growth as well as development skills efficient for the child.

The studies based on childcare and healthcare have turned to be the proficient career-oriented sector that offers numerous job opportunities to the students. There are several sectors through which the play activity students can explore their knowledge and help the child in enhancing the importance of play activities.

The characteristic branching of the childcare activities includes child development, early childcare and healthcare education, childcare management, family and neighborhood health care, universal education study, and many more. The students can take child development assignment help from the proficient play activity essay examples offered by Ireland Assignment Help.

What to include in the assignments of the play activity childcare course in Ireland?

The healthcare field, which includes childcare studies, is hard to come up with. The students of Ireland need to do in-depth research about the coursework projects for preparing an efficient play activity assignment childcare.

The students come to know that child play activity, and care task includes several branches which are essential to cover. Sometimes the students get worried about the job when they are not able to get an idea of how to start a childcare assignment.

The most effective method to start early childhood education and play assignments is to pick out an efficient topic. The subject chosen by the students of Ireland decides whether the assignment he wants to prepare is suitable to go through or not.

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A perfect example of a play activity childcare assignment for promoting development skills in Ireland

The students who are bound to complete their child development play activity assignment can read the following sample written by the Irish experts on IrelandAssignmentHelp.Com service.

Title: How play activity is beneficial for child growth? The playschool activities are beneficial for the physical as well as mental development of the child. It has become essential for the children to take part in the outer plus indoor activities for boosting up the strength. The child who is active plus has adequate knowledge about the external world is said to be an efficient, skilled person. The activities taught to the child at the initial stage are beneficial for future development. Genuine assignments help the students in staying active at every step of life. The creation of the playing activities is useful for child growth as well as outer education. The activities include the promotion of child health and medical attention along with the development. Taking care of the child is the initial task that requires critical attention plus essential measures. It has become necessary to focus on the specific actions which are helpful for caring and developing the child with etiquette. The child needs proper growth plus higher educational skills, which are useful for the future development of the child. The ethics or the activities learned at the crucial stage of life are helpful for the longer terms. The child needs proper support as well as educational system knowledge for achieving higher success. When the children have developed expertise plus actual results in the starting years of their life, then they can make long life results in a short time. The weakness or the point of strength decides whether the child is capable of achieving goals or not. That is why; play activities have become the crucial factor for enhancing the power among the child and promote childcare.

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What do students learn while preparing childcare play activities assignments?

We get to learn a little bit about everything we do whether it is a play (activity), research, or doing assignments. Consequently, the students also get to learn many things while preparing a child development play activity assignment or literature review1 and can utilize every single outcome for the next step in the completion of their assignment.

These are some crucial points that students get to learn while making assignments: –

• The significance of interpersonal skills as well as effectual self-confidence by learning effective activity methods.
• The procedures related to the policies, applicable legislation, and practices get enhanced when the students search for practical childcare activities.
• Rights of the child while deciding the play activities for healthcare and development.
• The enhancement of the communication among the family members as well as generation.
• The historic improvement of child growth under the specific issues among the family members or generation.

Essential skills required for working on the childcare play activities assignment in Ireland

The Fetac Level 5 assignments based on healthcare and childcare consist of tasks like safety, care skills, care support, health at work, experience, behavioral management, and caring for people who are suffering from mental illness. If the students of Ireland are working on childcare assignments, then it means they have to focus on the all-around development of the child. Generally, it is the part of the healthcare which aims to acknowledge the students with the efficiency of healthcare.

For completing the lr1 and lr2 of childcare assignments on the playing activities, the students of Ireland need to observe the physical health of the child, mental illness, personality, emotional development, social needs, and spiritual development.

The coursework enables the students with advanced learning skills as well as competent knowledge, which is well enough for caring for the child. The coursework writing helps to enhance the knowledge of the students about the total growth as well as the development of the child. It enables the child to stay safe plus hygienic in every manner. In addition to it, the coursework can teach the students to promote childcare education, among others.

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Take online writing help for submitting efficient play activities childcare assignments in Ireland

When the students of Ireland are not able to prepare a useful paper on the childcare assignment, then they seek professional writing help. Ireland Assignment Help is the most trusted online writing organization which offers brilliant writing solutions to students. It is beneficial for the students to focus on the pattern as well as the format of the childcare assignments. After taking the writing help from the British assignment writers of Ireland, the students can submit efficient papers in front of their college professors.

Play activities and childcare assignments are effective for enhancing the knowledge of the students towards the growth as well as the development of the child along with the necessary care provisions .

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Stages of play & their role in child care.

This blog was originally published in 2020 and was updated on October 1 7 , 2023, with new information.

Understanding the six stages of play in a child care center is vital to the development of the children you serve. Play is one of the most important activities a child engages in every day. It is their main form of learning about themselves and the world around them, and allows them to practice the skills they need to grow. 

Child psychologists agree that children learn best from actively engaging with their environment and interacting with others. Play gives children a safe, consequence-free way to explore the outcomes of behavior and discover the rules of the physical and social worlds.

In this article, we’ll talk about the six stages of play and how they are supported in child care centers. You’ll learn how kids progress through the stages of play during their development , the benefits of play, and the seven types of play identified by the National Institute of Play. We’ll also provide examples for each type and stage of play to inspire activity ideas for your child care center.

What are the Six Stages of Play?

Our knowledge about stages of play comes from Mildred Parten’s 1932 publication “Social Participation among Preschool Children,” a work still cited today. Parten defined six types of social play that are typical for children in different phases of child development. Children may progress through the stages at different rates, and the stages often overlap with each other, with children exhibiting behaviors from more than one stage at a time.

Let’s take a closer look at each stage of play and how it might look in your child care center.

Unoccupied Play

Unoccupied play, the first stage of play, occurs mostly between the ages of birth and three months. To adults, it may not appear to be play at all, because at this stage, the child is not occupied in any activity. 

Examples of Unoccupied Play

Babies engaging in unoccupied play exhibit behaviors like:

• Observing their surroundings
• Exploring their bodies
• Making movements that don’t seem to have any purpose

But there is more going on than meets the eye, as these motions are how an infant learns to control their body and the environment. At this stage, infants love sensory activities that familiarize them with the senses of the body.

Read our Guide to Unoccupied Play for more ideas and examples.

Solitary Play

The next stage of play, most often seen between three months and two years of age, consists of playing alone or “solitary play.” Although children of any age can play alone, children before the age of 24-30 months typically do not have the communication skills to play effectively with other children. This is an important time in development, when children learn independence by occupying themselves.  

Examples of Solitary Play

Solitary play can take many forms, such as:

• Looking at picture books or holding and interacting with dolls or toys
• Active play such as dancing, climbing on a playset or exploring
• Constructive play such as putting together a simple puzzle
• Imaginative play such as drawing or playing in a play house or with a tool bench

For more examples, check out our article on the Power of Solitary Play in Early Childhood Education .

Spectator/Onlooker Play

After the age of about two, kids begin to develop an interest in the activities of other children. This results in spectator/onlooker play, where they observe other children’s play without engaging in it themselves. During this stage, up to about three years of age, children learn from other kids and begin to form the building blocks of socialization.

Examples of Spectator/Onlooker Play

Children in this stage may ask questions or give requests while watching other children play, or simply observe. This is a good time to bring together kids in different age groups, as younger children in this phase often love watching and learning from older kids’ activities. 

In spectator/onlooker play, you might see: 

• One child asking another to mix and paint with a desired color
• A younger child waiting to be “served breakfast” from an older child at a play kitchen
• A child clapping when a peer’s toy hero “defeats” the bad guy

Learn how to nurture onlooker play with even more examples .

Parallel Play

In the parallel play stage, from about 2 to 4 years of age, children will play near each other, but not yet with each other. They may or may not be using the same toys or materials, but each child is directing their own activities. This stage is a combination of solitary play and spectator/onlooker play, as children observe and reflect what other kids are doing.

Examples of Parallel Play

In this stage, a child could see other kids playing with cars, pick up a car from a toy box and begin zooming the car around a town-themed play mat, without having the cars interact in a game or narrative. Or they might pick up an action figure instead, while imitating the busy, energetic play style of the children around them.

Play areas that allow free-form, creative activities such as sand trays, paint stations and scribble centers are well-suited to this type of play.

Interested in a deeper dive on parallel play ? See why it’s so important for building social skills in the daycare environment.

Associative Play

The associative play stage is when kids truly begin to play together, from about 3 to 5 years of age. They may take turns with toys and make early attempts at coordinating with each other by associating their respective play into a shared theme. 

Their play directly engages with other children and their activities interact, but each child is making up their own rules or story and the play is largely unstructured. The object is simply playing together, not the game itself. That makes this a great stage to start introducing small group activities.

Examples of Associative Play

Parallel play develops into associative play when children’s activities interact. For instance: 

• A child playing with a doll set makes their doll “friends” with another child’s doll and takes turns using the hair brush, but one child’s doll is a princess while the other child’s doll is a superhero.
• Two children may play on a jungle gym together, making sure to try the same activities at the same time, such as using the slide or swings together.

If you’re interested in fostering this stage of play we recommend checking out this article on the benefits of associative play .

Cooperative Play

In this final stage of play from ages 5 and up, kids begin to coordinate their activities with each other or play games with established rules. This requires a nuanced level of thinking and an understanding of social roles and boundaries. 

Within cooperative play, kids learn important social skills like self-control and negotiating with other children to play in a way that satisfies everyone. At this stage, kids begin to understand the rules of sports and board games intended for all ages.

Examples of Cooperative Play

Any group game or activity with a narrative, theme or rules can fall under cooperative play. For instance: 

• Where children in associative play might both play dress-up with no story or connection between the outfits, while in cooperative play, this could become a fashion show with themed outfits.
• A game of “cars” could turn into a race, with rules and a story arc. 
• Instead of simply sharing the play kitchen, children may define play roles such as chef, waiter and customer to simulate a restaurant.

Get more examples and understand the benefits of cooperative play here .

What is the Role of Play in Child Care?

Every early child educator understands that a child should have daily time to play, both by themselves and with other children. A well-stocked child care center includes plenty of stations with themed toys and objects that lend themselves to imaginative activities, as well as free play areas such as soft mats where kids can act out their own games. That way, kids in all six stages will have a place to play. 

Child care providers often guide children through age-appropriate activities, such as rule-based games for older children or play-pretend scenarios for younger ones, to help nurture their progress and track their development. When learning is play-based, children develop their innate curiosity and motivation to learn.

Some of the best-established benefits of play in child development include:

• Improving fine and gross motor skills
• Sharpening senses
• Improving empathy and emotional control
• Sharing and cooperating with others
• Learning to win and lose
• Improving imagination and creativity

It’s clear that the benefits of play extend across all five learning domains: social, emotional, cognitive, physical and linguistic. Since children’s learning is integrated, coordinating different skills to achieve results, most forms of play aid in more than one domain. For instance:

• Artistic activities like drawing can improve the senses, fine motor skills and imagination.
• Recess games like tag or hide-and-seek involve the physical skills of running and jumping, social skills of playing fair and respecting others, and cognitive skills of understanding rules.
• Dramatic play taps into linguistic skills for storytelling, social skills for negotiation and emotional skills for self-regulation.

How Else Do Kids Play?

Although Paten’s six stages of play are well-known and widely cited, there are many useful ways to categorize and understand play. For instance, the National Institute for Play identifies seven types of play :

• Attunement Play, when babies develop emotional connections to caregivers.
• Body Play & Movement, where kids engage their bodies in physical activity.
• Object Play, using toys and other objects to play.
• Social Play, including group games such as tag.
• Imaginative & Pretend Play, involving roleplay and simulated activities.
• Storytelling-Narrative Play, such as reading or making up stories.
• Creative Play, including art and music.

Unlike Paten’s stages of play, these types of play are not progressive phases of child development, but can mostly be demonstrated at any age. They describe the content of the play, rather than the social style. 

Understanding different ways of thinking about play will help you develop more fun and effective play-based learning programs at your center.

Track Children’s Development With Vine Assessments!

Developmentally appropriate play is an important part of how a child learns. And as children in your care grow, it’s vital that you track their developmental growth, which benefits your center and the children you serve. 

Procare Solutions is the only provider of child care management software to offer proprietary  early childhood assessments  for children from birth to 5 years old.

Vine Assessments is an integrated framework  (available to customers at no additional cost!)  that gives early childhood educators a way to clearly articulate the growth and development of children in their care. Its assessments align with standards in all 50 states.

Teachers using Procare can tie their lessons and observations directly to the appropriate Vine Assessments indicator from the web-based software and Procare  child care app .  

Why Assessments Matter in Early Childhood Education

This eBook will answer more of your questions and get you ready to include assessments in your child care program!

• List of Sensory Activities for Infants & Toddlers
• 25 Questions for Daycare Providers to Ask Parents About Their Child
• Daycare Age Ranges: Understanding the Differences
• What a Drop in Child Care Funding Means and What States are Doing
• 10 Early Childhood Behavior Management Strategies

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Related Resources

Understanding associative play in early childhood education.

The associative play stage is when kids truly begin to play together. Let's look at why it's so important as part of your ECE program.

How to Use Cooperative Play to Promote Development

Let's look at examples of cooperative play, which is children engaging in organized group play with specific roles and rules.

The Power of Solitary Play in Early Childhood Education

Solitary play gives children the freedom to explore their interests without the influence of others. Let's look at how to nurture this play!

eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care

Active Play in Child Care

Regular physical activity is important for everyone, but it is especially important for young children. Child care providers can be positive role models as they work with the children in their care. The routines and habits that are started early in life will be easier to continue as the children grow. Children who have opportunities for active play several times a day will find it easier to come back and focus on small motor and cognitive tasks.

Why do children need active play?

• To encourage bone growth and muscle development
• To support eye-hand coordination
• To keep body weight at healthy levels
• To prevent the development of health issues like high blood pressure and type II diabetes
• To help them sleep better
• To help them be better prepared to face everyday stress, either physical or emotional

For More Information

Planning times for active play doesn’t have to be stressful for child care providers. For more information on physical activity for children, take a look at the following eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care articles:

• Developmentally Appropriate Ways to Teach Fitness to Young Children in Child Care
• Helping Children in Child Care Be Physically Active
• Keeping Children Active Indoors
• Play Activities to Encourage Motor Development in Child Care
• Things to Consider When Planning for Physical Activities in Child Care

If you are looking for specific activities to use in your child care program, visit our Hands-on Activities Database .

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education has more specific physical activity guidelines for children birth – age 5 in their Active Start publication.

• April 29, 2022

Play Activities for 12 to 24 Months

Whether you’re looking for games to build your toddler’s language skills, or games to keep the young ones busy, here are some great play ideas for your infant or toddler., action-oriented activities, squishy sponges.

Give the child some soaking wet sponges to play with outside. Let him wash his trike, the mailbox, or even stamp wet sponge-shapes onto the sidewalk. Show him how he can squeeze the sponge to make the water come out—this builds physical skills in his hands and fingers. “Important” jobs like washing a tricycle or baby doll help toddlers feel like confident and helpful members of the family. As with all water activities, it is critical to supervise children carefully as they play.

Leaf Collector

Give the child a small basket and take her on a walk around your neighborhood or a local park or school. See if she wants to pick up leaves and other “treasures” and put them in her basket. You might be surprised by how long your toddler will be happy to walk, snapping up leaf after leaf for her collection. This activity builds gross motor (large muscle) and fine motor (small muscle) skills as children walk, squat, and pick up their discoveries.

Freeze! Toddlers love freeze dancing

Play music and encourage the child to dance or move in whatever way he likes. Then instruct him to stop when the music ends. This kind of activity encourages listening skills and self-regulation as he practices stopping and starting. (This is a very useful skill for when he goes to school and has to follow a lot of directions!)

Pop Some Popcorn

Take a receiving blanket and have the child hold one side while you hold the other. Place some foam balls (“popcorn”) on the blanket and then shake the blanket so the balls bounce (or pop!) off. Your little one might like singing “POPCORN! POPCORN! POP, POP, POP!” while you shake. Once all the balls have “popped,” have your grandchild race to grab them and put them on the blanket to do it again.

Quiet Play Activities

Shadow play.

In a darkened room, shine a flashlight at your hand so that the shadow is reflected on the wall. Wave to the child and make silly shadow shapes with your hand. Does the child want to try to wave with his shadow hand too? He may also enjoy shining the flashlight on the wall all by himself.

Fill and Dump

Make 5-10 homemade balls (wad up waxed paper or newspaper and cover with masking tape). Put the balls in a shoebox or basket. Give the child another box and show her how she can move each ball from one box to the other. If the child is walking, place the baskets a few steps apart so they can toddle from one to the other. Games like this encourage toddlers to move their hands across their bodies as they transfer the balls, which helps them later on with many skills from athletics to handwriting. ##Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Starting at about 18 months, children are just beginning to play pretend. A good way to build these skills is by playing with a doll or stuffed animal. You might say, “Oh, Teddy fell down and got a boo-boo. He needs a hug.” Then give it a cuddle. See if the child also wants to give Teddy a hug. Next, you might use a “prop”—like a cup or a blanket—and suggest that the child “give Teddy a drink” or “put Teddy to sleep.”

Make a Homemade “Wagon”

Attach a 12–18 inch length of string or ribbon to a shoebox using sturdy tape. Show the child how she can pull the string to make the box move. If she is walking, give her a job to do using her “wagon,” such as pulling some clean dishtowels into the kitchen or delivering mail in another room. This kind of activity builds physical and problem-solving skills as the child learns how to use an object as a “tool” (pulling the string to move the box.) Be sure to supervise closely and put this toy away when you are done playing.

Activities That Build Thinking Skills

How does your garden grow.

Plant some seeds that grow in summer, such as grass or flower seeds, in a patch of dirt outside or in a pot to keep inside. This is a fun project for toddlers who love to shovel, pour water, and get messy! At the same time they’re building fine motor skills (as they use their fingers and hands) and learning important science concepts as they watch their plants grow.

Try the Classic Shell Game

You’ll need a plastic cup and a small toy. Show the child the toy, then set it down and cover it slowly with the cup. See if he picks up the cup to find the toy. Once the child has mastered this game with one cup, try it with two cups and later, with three cups. This is a very challenging concept for toddlers to master so it’s important to be patient. Soon enough, the child will have no trouble at all locating the toy. This kind of activity builds thinking skills and hand-eye coordination.

Take Out Some Tubes

Put those empty wrapping paper tubes to work. String a scarf through the tube and let your toddler pull it out. Or, show your toddler how to drop a ball or foam block down the tube and watch it fall on the floor. Roll the tube and race across the room to get it. Make music by banging the tube on the floor. Games like this build the child’s thinking and imaginative play skills.

Practice Pouring

Wash out an empty plastic spice container and show the child how you can drop a few pieces of cereal inside. Offer it to the child and watch as she tries to figure out how to get the cereal out. She may shake it or drop it, but eventually, she will pour them out onto the high chair tray, a plate, or her hand. This type of activity builds problem-solving skills.

Activities That Build the Senses

Take a peek.

Remove the label from several small water bottles. Fill each bottle with interesting objects—one might contain small shells, another can be filled with sparkly glitter, water, and mineral oil, and another with a few pennies. Securely glue the lid on each bottle. Give them to the child to look at, shake, and explore.

Water, Water Everywhere

Fill a dishpan with water and place it on a towel on the floor (or better, outside). Give the child plastic cups, spoons, bowls, and a funnel. Watch her pour, splash, and more. Add some food coloring to the water for a new twist on water play. As with any water activity, supervise carefully and pour all water out when you are done.

Band Together

Gather several objects that make different noises—rattles, bells, tambourines, etc. Start singing a song and pick up an instrument—offer one to the child too—and make some music together. Games like this nurture a child’s language, physical, and thinking skills.

Make a Bubble “Mound”

Fill a small bowl with some bubble liquid and then use a straw to blow a mound of bubbles. Let the child explore the bubbles with his hands—but watch to make sure he doesn’t eat any. He may also enjoy watching you blow bubbles for him to catch.

Activities That Build Language Skills

During diaper changes, take a moment to play “what’s this?” Lift up her foot and say, “What’s this? It’s a foot. And what are these? They are toes.” You can name belly, belly button, knee, leg, parts of the face, and more. Through repetition, young toddlers learn new words.

Picture This

Snap photos of the child during an activity with you, such as making cookies. Take a picture of the beginning of the activity (getting the ingredients), the middle (adding ingredients, stirring), and the end (eating cookies). Glue each photo to an index card. Show the photos to the child and talk about the steps you took for each activity. Activities like this help develop the child’s thinking and language skills.

Point It Out

As you read books with the child, ask him to “point to the cat” or “show me the moon” in his favorite stories. He may not be able to follow through yet (so you should go ahead and do the pointing), but as the child approaches 2 years, you may be surprised by how many words he seems to know. Reading activities like this help children understand the connection between words and pictures and build their vocabulary.

Hello, Good-Bye

Make a tunnel from a large cardboard box by opening both ends. The child can be at one end of the tunnel. You sit at the opposite end. Peek your face in the tunnel and say, “Hi!” Then lean away from the tunnel (so the child can’t see you) and say, “Bye!” Does the child try to communicate with you by crawling to find you, or by making sounds to copy your “hi” and “bye?” This activity encourages language, problem-solving, and physical skills as a child figures out how to locate you.

Browse our full suite of resources on early childhood development.

The 12 Benefits of Free Play in Early Childhood

By: Author Tanja McIlroy

Posted on Last updated: 5 June 2024

Categories Learning Through Play

Children engage and interact with the world around them through play. Free play during early childhood is about exploring, experimenting, discovering and learning.

Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of free play in early childhood and why it should be a regular activity for young children.

What is Free Play?

Free play is any kind of play that is initiated by a child. Outdoor play and indoor play can both be considered free play, as long as your child has the freedom to control their own play experience.

There are two types of play activities – adult-guided play and child-directed play. Both are important for a child’s development.

Here are some examples of adult-guided play activities:

• Sponge painting with your child
• Laying out an obstacle course in the garden
• Playing board games
• Taking your child to a pottery class or an art class
• Playing a game of I Spy
• Cooking together

Examples of Free Play in Early Childhood

Here are a few free play examples:

• Symbolic and dress-up play
• Block play and construction play
• Building puzzles
• Sand and water play
• Process art
• Outdoor play – riding tricycles, climbing, running, chasing , hanging, swinging, etc.
• Child-led outdoor games

What Are the Benefits of Free Play?

During the preschool years, the majority of a child’s development happens during unstructured play, so the importance of free play in early childhood cannot be underestimated.

Preschoolers and toddlers are developmentally in the stage of informal learning through play .

Here is a brief look at 12 benefits of free play for kids.

1. Brain Development

Free play is important for a child’s overall brain development. As children explore and learn, they form new connections and pathways in the brain.

Children’s brains are processing at double the speed of adults’ brains. This is a significant amount of brain development. The stimulation a child receives early on will determine how many neurons are formed and which do not form. [ source ]

2. Creativity

Play is a creative activity. Children are constantly thinking up new games and activities to keep themselves entertained.

During fantasy play, for example, children create stories and events and act them out as if they were happening.

In an art activity, children’s visual creativity is developed.

When playing with construction toys, designing a building brings out creativity.

All forms of play develop creative expression. Find out how you can encourage creativity in your young child .

3. Social Skills

A child’s first mode of learning social skills is through interacting with their parents. After that, social interaction is built by playing with siblings or friends.

During free play, children learn many social skills such as:

• collaborating with others
• playing with others with a common goal
• negotiating
• learning to follow rules
• thinking of others and seeing their perspectives
• solving conflicts fairly and independently
• Asserting themselves
• following another’s lead
• showing sympathy and empathy
• communicating effectively

4. Planning Skills

Planning skills are important during the early grades. They help a child know how to plan work before starting or carrying out a task logically and within a given time frame.

The skill of planning is constantly developed during play. A child may need to plan a house before building it with Lego, set up a grocery shop for pretend play , or plan where to stick a picture on a page.

Planning is a skill that requires careful thought and consideration. Children learn to think about the desired outcome before beginning a task and work out a plan for executing the task.

A child who is still developing planning skills could start drawing a picture of his family but run out of space on the page for some of his family members, while a child who has good planning skills will first look at the available space and decide how much space each person will take up on the page.

Play is a great way to practise planning on a physical level, before moving on to planning on paper.

5. Motor Development 

Children’s gross motor and fine motor skills are largely developed through free play. Children need well-developed motor skills in order to learn how to read and write.

A child develops physically from the centre of the body outwards, to the limbs. In other words, their large muscles develop first, followed by their small muscles.

Large muscles are developed through free play activities such as:

• walking and running
• skipping, jumping and hopping
• pushing and pulling
• catching and throwing

Small muscles are developed through free play activities such as:

• playing with pegboards
• moulding playdough
• building with blocks or construction play toys
• drawing and painting
• cutting and pasting
• threading and lacing

In recent times, the increase in screen time and the decrease in playtime have had a massive impact on the classroom. More and more children have underdeveloped motor skills and are struggling academically as a result.

6. Problem Solving

Every child will encounter multiple problems during play sessions. They will need to figure out how to stop their tower from tumbling over, how to make a tent out of blankets, or how to change the rules of the game to make everyone happy.

Knowing how to solve problems is a skill that is needed in school and in adulthood and is even a crucial skill needed in every person’s career.

The beauty of problem solving during play is that when children are relaxed and engaged in an activity of their choice, they don’t see problems as being problems. Rather, they are merely challenges that need to be tackled.

The more invested the child is in solving the problem, the more determined they will be.

This is a healthy attitude to take into adulthood, where problems can never be avoided and are best seen as challenges.

7. Language Development

Children usually verbalize what they are doing as they play, even when they are alone. Not only are they increasing their vocabulary , but they are also practising language structures and sentence construction.

Playing with others provides an even bigger language learning opportunity as they interact and learn from each other through conversation.

8. Independence

When children are accustomed to having free time to play every day, they develop a sense of independence and enjoy their time to themselves, or their time with their own peers.

As a parent, it is important to not be present during every play session or your child will develop a dependence on you to always be around.

This is also true for playdates , which are a healthy and important part of a child’s youth.

Try not to plan every aspect of the playdate and let your child show his independence as he plans the play session himself and learns to entertain his friends without needing adult guidance.

9. Visual Perception 

Visual perception is the brain’s ability to interpret what it sees. This is very important for learning to read and write and being able to distinguish letters, words, patterns, etc.

Visual perceptual skills include:

• visual memory
• sequential memory
• visual discrimination
• visual closure
• visual comprehension
• perception of shapes
• depth perception
• figure-ground perception
• visual analysis and synthesis

This skill is developed naturally through play.

10. Auditory Perception

Auditory perception is the brain’s ability to interpret what it hears. This is equally important for learning to read.

Before a child can learn to distinguish the sounds of letters and work with these sounds, they must develop an understanding of sounds and patterns in sounds.

Again, this is developed naturally through play.

Auditory perceptual skills include:

• auditory discrimination
• auditory memory
• auditory analysis and synthesis
• auditory foreground-background perception

11. Spatial Perception

When a child understands their body in relation to the world around them, they have developed spatial perception.

Children can develop this by climbing through tunnels, running around, playing movement games, crossing their midline , etc.

Children with poor spatial perception will often bump into others when playing a game or have poor body awareness and understanding of their position in space .

If a child’s spatial sense is not developed, they will struggle later, especially when writing letters and words and spacing their work on a page. They must first learn this skill on a physical level, with their own bodies, before they can understand space on paper.

12. Healthy Expression 

Last but not least, play is a way for children to express themselves and make sense of the world.

During an activity such as fantasy play, a child has a safe way to act out their emotions and learn to cope with them. Children use play as an outlet to express how they feel about the world and everything that happens in it.

These are just some of the free play benefits. Never feel guilty if your children are “just playing.” This is the best activity they could be doing!

Are you a preschool teacher or working in Early Childhood Education? Would you like to receive regular emails with useful tips and play-based activity ideas to try with your children? Sign up for the newsletter!

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Wednesday 10th of January 2024

Great article! Very comprehensive about why play is so important for our kids. Along with all these benefits, it brings such joy to their lives! The gift of such a simple pleasure that keeps giving.

Tanja McIlroy

Friday 12th of January 2024

Thanks for your lovely comment!

Bitra Usha Rani

Friday 21st of October 2022

I agree with the importance of the free play. I got a clear idea by reading this information and it will help everyone to make use of free play activities in Early Years for the holistic development of every child.

Tanja Mcilroy

Monday 24th of October 2022

Thanks for reading!

Play Activity Assignment

ASSIGNMENT 2 PLAY ACTIVITY INTRODUCTION This assignment is called Play activity. It is worth 30% of the overall grade of the module Early Childhood Education. As part of the assessment criteria of this assignment I must complete a play activity to a group o children aged between 0-6 years. WORK PLACE I have been starting to work in Crèche X in Donnybrook area since two weeks ago (as a full time). I have been in a free trial, then part time till they decided I can start full time. I work in Baby room. There are five children at the moment. I love children and I like being around them. I haven’t worked before with babies, so it was a challenge and a big responsibility for me and I was very happy for the chance given to me. …show more content…

I want to help children to gain confidence in everyday tasks, to ensure that the play is conforming to official health and safety standards. It is a period when walking, talking, vision of the world and moral foundations are established. The early years of life are critical to the development of intelligence, personality and social behavior. I would like to learn about children needs and interests. My unique selling points I enjoy teaching, but in Romanian language because it will be easy to express myself. In English I loose myself, I forget the words, I don t know anymore what I want to say, it s difficult, because in school we don’t communicate enough, we just learn to read, to write, grammar, exercises. When I was a child I dreamed to be a teacher. All my story books have marks on. I like painting, singing, computers, I like to be informed. One day I believe I will have my own business a crèche. But first of all I need to work in a crèche for more years to get more experience and to find out everything I need to know about. I like children very much, I will be a good manager and I think it will be good money as well, if I provide a good service. Title of play activity: Autumn leaves Aim Autumn is a great time to teach children about leaves. I want to learn them through play and

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Educators can facilitate the children with different materials and environments in the classrooms that are in the early learning centres. The children need to develop their minds cognitively. “Children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world” (Berk 2007). Children are needing to develop their abilities through their play experiences, and also through their play experiences, they can develop appropriately. Early childhood education plays a large part in a child's early development.

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Setting the Stage for Play: Exploring the Relationship Between Play Type and Positive Caregiving Strategies During Therapeutic Playgroup

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Sarah Fabrizi , Ann Tilman; Setting the Stage for Play: Exploring the Relationship Between Play Type and Positive Caregiving Strategies During Therapeutic Playgroup. Am J Occup Ther July/August 2024, Vol. 78(4), 7804185080. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050590

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Importance: Although play and positive caregiving strategies have been associated with child well-being, little is known about the relationship between play type and strategies used by caregivers in early childhood.

Objective: To investigate whether a relationship exists between play type and positive caregiving strategies.

Design: Exploratory correlational nonexperimental design.

Setting: Early childhood center.

Participants: A convenience sample that included 60 observations of 14 caregivers during a therapeutic playgroup with 14 children with and without disabilities ages 15 mo to 3 yr (4 fathers, 3 mothers, 1 nanny, and 6 female early childhood teachers; age range = 30–39 yr). The caregivers were Black ( n = 1; 7.1%), Hispanic ( n = 5; 35.7%), and White ( n = 8; 57.1%).

Outcomes and Measures: Positive caregiving strategies were scored using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes.

Results: Results revealed no significant correlations between play type and positive caregiving strategy. There was a positive, significant correlation between caregiving strategies (affection, responsiveness, encouragement, teaching, and total; r pb s = .767–.970, n = 58, p = .001). The play type and caregiver type variables did not predict total positive caregiving strategies, F (2, 57) = 2.147, p = .126. One variable, caregiver type, added statistical significance to the prediction ( p = .045).

Conclusions and Relevance: The findings show no relationship between play type and positive caregiving strategy. Consideration of the types of caregivers participating in a therapeutic playgroup and their roles and use of positive strategies during play is worthy of further investigation.

Plain-Language Summary: This study explored how parent and teacher caregivers supported children (both with and without disabilities) during a therapeutic playgroup at an early childhood center. Therapeutic playgroups are a special type of group play in which a trained professional helps guide play activities to support participation. The researchers wanted to see whether there was a connection between the type of play the children engaged in and how the adult caregivers interacted with them. The surprising finding was that there was no link between play type and how caregivers interacted. However, the caregivers often used positive strategies with the children, regardless of the play activity. Interestingly, type of caregiver (parent, teacher) seemed to make a slight difference in how they interacted with the children during playtime. Overall, this study suggests that more research is needed to understand how the types of play activities and objects might influence caregiver interactions during group play.

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Five Essentials to Meaningful Play

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By Marcia L. Nell and Walter F. Drew

“ One of my clearest childhood memories is slithering through the tall grass like a snake with my brother and sister. ”

When you think back on your childhood, what happy play memories come to mind? Adults today tend to think back on their childhood play memories with nostalgia and often call them the “good old days.” Memories of joyful and meaningful play experiences help bind families together emotionally, even long after children are grown. Are our children experiencing the same kind of joy, meaning, and family bonding in their play?

Here are five elements essential to meaningful play that create those rich memories we treasure:

1. Children make their own decisions. When children choose how to play for themselves, they experience freedom in making those choices. They also begin to see connections between choice and the consequences or results of that choice. The type of toys or materials parents offer can help their children make more meaningful decisions. Open-ended materials can be used in many ways so children can decide for themselves how to use them. For example, a child can imagine a block to be a fire truck or any number of things. A toy fire truck, on the other hand, is usually used as a fire truck. Foam pieces, little wooden sticks, ribbon scraps, and other reusable resources are all open-ended materials that inspire creative thinking and delight when children use them to make something no one has ever made before.

2. Children are intrinsically motivated. The impulse to play comes from a natural desire to understand the world. This play impulse is as strong as your child’s desire for food or sleep.1 It is this intrinsic motivation that allows a child to regulate her own feelings and desires in order to keep playing. Because children eventually find it more important to be part of play with their friends than to satisfy their own wants and needs at that moment, children learn self-control. And self-control has been shown to lead to success in later years, especially in today’s information age, where distractions are part of daily life.2

3. Children become immersed in the moment. In true play, children are so fully engaged that they lose awareness of their surroundings, time, and space. In this risk-free atmosphere where reality is suspended, children have the security and safety they need to experiment, try new ideas, and investigate the laws of nature. Although they are immersed in their play, children still can recognize reality versus fantasy, something parents often wonder about.

4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted. Often, play is totally unplanned. Other times, play is planned but a child impulsively makes a change. One child changes his mind, or perhaps a toy does not cooperate. This sense of the unknown provides children with opportunities to develop flexibility in their thinking and decision making, which is a vital life skill.

5. Play is enjoyable. Play always has an emotional response attached to it. Without this emotional connection, the experience is simply an activity; it is not PLAY. Enjoyment is the direct result of engaging in play. It is FUN! These five essential elements of play outline why play provides your child with a rich experience. And isn’t that what we want for our children, to develop play memories that will become the “good old days”?

Read Walter and Marcia's book  From Play to Practice: Connecting Teachers' Play to Children's Learning .

Marcia L. Nell is a professor at Millersville University and serves as the Director of Research and Professional Development for the Institute for Self Active Education. Her research interests include play in children, adults, and the elderly along with teacher preparation, early childhood education, and professional development schools.  

Walter F. Drew is the founder of The Institute for Self Active Education with the mission to awaken the creative potential of children and adults through enjoyable play with open-ended materials. He practices the art of play to inspire his teaching and art making as a painter and sculptor.

1Brown, S., & C. Vaughn. 2009. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery Publishing.

2Galinsky, E. 2010. Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. New York: HarperCollins.

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