All childcare centres need to have activities and an environment that supports and develops a child’s learning. Thus, a great start for centres is to come up with a general idea of what their activities and curriculum will be. The following is a list of activities that will provide children with the opportunity for meaningful play.

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are crucial for brain development in children as it allows them to use their senses and try to understand what is around them. They can improve their fine motor skills through scooping and pouring the materials while also working on their problem-solving skills. What’s great about sensory bins is that there are an abundance of materials and mediums to choose from, such as rice, water, magnetic letters and small figurines.

Story Time

Not only is this a time to introduce literacy to children, it also provides the opportunity for children to expand their literacy skills and be imaginative. Children can pretend and imagine that they are the characters in the story, communicate their thoughts about the story, as well as explore different storylines.

Imaginative Play Centres

Imaginative play centres are a great way for children to use their imagination, play pretend and be creative. This includes playing dress-up, using toy kitchen equipment, using toy tool kits, and more. Children can learn about the different roles they are dressing up as and what the use is of the toys they are using. Furthermore, by providing toys such as pets and babies, children can pretend to care for these toys and overall practice being responsible.

Music Time

Music time can involve a number of sub-activities. Children can sing and dance along to songs. They can even create their own dance moves or make up a song. Centres can also allow children to make their own instruments or play with toy instruments. Children can then explore the different noises of the instruments and the different ways to play them.

Gross Motor Play

Gross motor play involves organized games that allow children to play with their classmates and learn and develop a variety of skills such as:

• Communication
• Patience
• Imagination
• Cooperation
• Following Instructions
• Asking for Help

Most of these activities give children the opportunity to be creative and express themselves, while also exploring their curiosities. A lack of these activities will not develop a child’s learning so integrating these activities is something that all centres should consider.