..so Home Learning has begun in your home recently and it has you deeply engaged in PLAY… PLAY with multi-age learners throughout the day. It has seen you work towards establishing a new daily rhythm that involves everyone in the same spaces at the same time without the usual extra-curricular activities outside the home. Your little ones are working their way through the play experiences you have set up for them and it hasn’t left you with much time to plan for PLAY ahead of time or to find more PLAY ideas to maintain engagement.
We have compiled 11 play ideas to support, empower and help you to enjoy teaching (and learning) with multi-age learners (from taby’s,toddlers through to preschoolers and early schoolers). All activities require adult supervision at all times.
1. FLORAL ICE SUNCATCHERS – celebratePLAY
A simple sensory activity to set up using natural items collected from a yard and/or nature walk with water in containers for freezing.
2. FLOWER PETAL PLAYDOUGH – celebratePLAY
Another simple and beautiful sensory activity that can use the leftover natural items from the previous activity, along with playdough and accessories. We love the new range at Packs of Fun and stampers from Beadie Bug Play and Lime Tree Kids for playdough accessories.
3. THERAPY PUTTY – Play at Home Mummy
This putty is made with a DIY recipe. It is a great activity for fine motor and sensory development that can be used with little learners that are beyond mouthing objects. Check out how @playathomemummy uses this putty in five different ways.
4. BALL WHACK!! – Play at Home Mummy
Ball Whack is a great activity for all learners that are mobile, practising their skills in gross and fine motor, cognition and problem solving. This activity can be modified and extended by making some tweaks to the materials used, giving you a new day = new play, but not in a fancy way. One of our favourite strategies to help extend play.
5. COLOURED SPAGHETTI – The Paige Diaries
This is a messy activity but one that can be cleaned up relatively quickly when set up in a way that allows for that. Keen to learn more about sensory play and some tips along the way…for the next 24 hours Lycie at Simply Play Today (formerly known as The Paige Diaries) has the doors open to her Sensory Play Course open…be quick because they close tomorrow.
6. POM POM ICE CUBE SENSORY TRAY – The Paige Diaries
This has been an all time favourite activity at celebratePLAY across most stages of development. It is one that requires some preparation ahead of time but is totally worth it. Again this is an activity best for learners beyond mouthing objects. Check out playathomemummy tip for creating a THE NO TUB to help learners explore the usual no items in a safe way.
7. TINKERING – celebratePLAY
Some time ago, we introduced tinker trays to our little learners which was an absolute hit. The creativity, imagination, engineering skills shone brightly and gave us a deeper insight into the interests and skills of our learners.
Check out what they looked like and what was created here.
There are so many ways to engage our multi age learners in PLAY and with support and empowering women around us. Are you a Mumma looking for fresh and innovative play based learning experiences to help you during the home learning journey and some new PLAYmates, click here to join us in the celebratePLAY community.
8. SMALL WORLD TABLES – Little Lifelong Learners
Small World Play is an activity that requires some preparation and is a type of play that varies amongst our learners. See how Casey sets up this small world table for her multi age learners to discover, explore and create.
9. DRAMATIC PLAY CENTRES – Little Lifelong Learners
Dramatic PLAY is one of our most favourite ways of learning. We have had multiple shop fronts, services and sites over the years which has seen our multi age learners thoroughly engaged in their learning. Casey creates and sells such amazing play packs that give the dramatic play centre a real sense of authenticity and you will have seen them in our playspace many a times. Check out the range here.
10. DRAWING PROMPTS – Stories of Play
This has been a relatively new activity introduced to our little learners and it has been an innovative idea in our playspace. Drawing prompts requires minimal resources, a few mins of prep time, produces some amazing learning benefits and is super fun. Some of the things that make play so magical.
Talk soon, PLAYmates,
Erin xx
