Play-based learning for toddlers
Play is a great way for a child to learn. Play can help a child’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. In the first 3 years, play helps children learn about the world through listening, looking, touching, tasting and smelling.
Here are a few suggestions of things you can do with your child’s learning:
- Put several different objects in a bag and ask your child to put a hand in and feel one. Ask questions such as ‘How does it feel?’ Describing objects helps your child’s language development.
- Encourage your child to stack blocks and then take some away. Activities like this help your child begin to learn skills and an understanding of numbers.
- Fill plastic containers with sand, pebbles, rice and water. Encourage your child to shake them and discover the different sounds they make.
- It is a good idea to provide your child with opportunities to socialise more widely – go to the playground or local library to meet new children and people.
Play-based learning for three to five-year-olds
Everyday activities can be fun learning opportunities. Pretending, creating and helping allows your child to discover new things. Play helps children learn about themselves and where they fit in the world. Evidence shows that play can support learning across physical, social, emotional and intellectual areas of development.
Let your child's imagination run wild. Encourage them to play dress ups or pretend to be a favourite character. Ask them to tell you about it.
Play is often social – that is, it involves other children. Social play gives your child a chance to practise getting along with other children and to learn new skills.
A few suggestions of good play experiences for three to five-year-olds include:
- drawing, painting, finger painting and making potato prints
- emptying and filling containers in the bath or paddling pool‚ but never leave your child unsupervised
- dressing up in your old clothes, shoes and jewellery
- climbing, digging and running outdoors
- singing
- playing with dolls
- experiencing books.
It's important for children to engage in both structured and unstructured play.
Structured play
Structured play (organised play) usually includes rules, time limits or special equipment. Examples of structured play include sports games, swimming lessons and dance lessons.
Unstructured play
Unstructured play (also known as free time) involves games that are made up on the spot or allow children to use the equipment around them as they like. Examples include playing at the park, imaginative play with make-believe stories and dancing to music at home.
Indoor and outdoor activities
There are many activities suitable for indoors and outdoors that you can play with your child. You can get creative with recyclable objects that you have around the house. Milk cartons can be used to mark goals (in sports matches) and toilet rolls can be used to build structures. It's inexpensive and encourages your child to use their imagination and think creatively.
Ideas for indoor activities include:
- musical chairs and musical statues
- making an obstacle course
- jumping over soft objects or a rope
- acting out stories
- hide and seek
- follow the leader games
- throwing a soft ball or bean bag into a bucket
- involving your child in cooking and other household duties. Cooking teaches about healthy food, numbers and measurement, science, sharing and new words.
Ideas for outdoor activities include:
- running and stopping
- throwing and catching a ball
- hitting soft balls with a tennis racket or soft cricket bat
- follow the leader games
- going to the park and playing on the equipment
- potato sack races
- hop-scotch
- making an obstacle course
- making suggestions about imaginary play, for example asking, What would it be like to be small like a mouse?, or providing props to use for play.
Read with your child
Read with your child every chance you get – words are everywhere! Talk about signs, food labels, and always keep a book handy.
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