Research tells us young children learn best through play. But have you ever wondered what this really means and how you can identify and support learning through play?

Why Play Matters

Early childhood is a time of immense physical and cognitive developmental growth, in fact, it is the period of the most growth throughout the life span of a human. During this pivotal stage, children are also cultivating their self-identity and building social and emotional competencies. Play emerges as their natural medium for learning, enabling them to observe, explore, and refine their working theories (thinking) while making sense of the world around them and their place within it.

The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum

This connection between play and development is the foundation upon which Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s Early Childhood Curriculum, is built. A ‘whāriki’ is a woven mat in Māori. It is utilised to represent all the aspects of learning woven together and it represents the holistic way in which tamariki grow, learn and thrive. Te Whāriki is organised around principles, strands, goals and twenty learning outcomes.

At New Shoots while we often identify one or two learning outcomes in children’s Individual Learning Plan, the child is exploring many, many more intrinsically.

Making Learning Visible

Many of you told us through our recent parent and whānau survey that you’d love to understand more about our curriculum and how your child is learning through play.

In the coming months, we will be showcasing our curriculum and how learning through play supports children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, learner identity, and well-being; along with some tips on how you can enhance learning through play.

The Sandpit

Let’s start with a beloved area of play with tamariki – Sand / Kirikiri / Onepū. Sand is an open-ended, hands on and creative natural medium that meets the tamaiti at their stage of play, whether independently or as social play. Intentionally adding and changing resources in the sandpit, creates a hub of creativity, experimentation and learning.

The Value of Sand Play

Cognitive Skills

Mathematics is defined as the study of relationships between objects or quantities. Sand provides the opportunity to explore the concepts of measurement, which include height, weight, length, depth, width, volume, and area.

Positional concepts also play a key role in understanding surroundings; terms like under, behind, over, through, and beside help us describe spatial relationships.

Additionally, counting and number skills are fundamental, encompassing recognition, division, addition, subtraction, estimation, and comparison.

Science principles: As the children delved into sand play, scientific curiosity begins to open. They discovered the fascinating properties of sand—its permeability, its ability to absorb and retain water, and how it behaves under pressure.

Gravity may be explored as they observe water flow and they explore what it means to be a scientist by predicting, experimenting and observing outcomes. Intentional adults also utilise sand play in experiments such as volcanoes.

Engineering principles: As tamariki explore sand play, they naturally engage with principles of engineering. They discover the malleability of sand, experiment with stability by building structures, and learn about proportion and strength when shaping their creations.

Whether constructing foundations for towers or testing the durability of their designs, these playful interactions weave in early lessons about the mechanics of engineering in the most hands-on way.

Early Literacy development: Language acquisition flourishes when children engage in meaningful interactions and explore thoughtfully curated resources. Through sand play, learners naturally immerse themselves in early literacy development, weaving language into their creative and tactile adventures in the sandpit.

Physical Development

Playing with sand enhances motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and body coordination. Sensory processing involves exploring through senses such as touch, smell, hearing, sight, taste, as well as movement and balance (vestibular) and body awareness (proprioception).

Social / Emotional Competencies

Sand play encourages turn-taking, collaboration, communication, sharing ideas, and negotiating. It can also provide a calming, self-regulating experience that helps children unwind and centre themselves. Kirikiri promotes soft skills (life-long learning skills) such as problem solving, experimenting, recalling past experiences, predicting and creativity.

Sand play enhances learning opportunities and strengthens learner identity by developing competency and capabilities.

Tips for Enhancing Learning Through Play at Home

• Join the Play: While independent play is valued, joining in lets you see what your child is thinking about and how you can extend or support their ideas. For example, if they’re making channels for water you could spark a discussion about gravity or permeability.
• Add rich language: Talking about what your child is doing during play helps develop their language skills and cognitive abilities. Face-to-face connections are vital in today’s digital age.
• Tune into their needs: Sometimes, children choose play activitiesto self-regulate and relax. Sometimes they invite you into their world. Follow their lead and let them explore at their own pace.
• Let the child lead the play: When play is meaningful to your child, their learning deepens. Resist the urge to redirect their play – you’ll see them flourish when they follow their instincts.
• Make Time for Play: Play isn’t just great for kids – it’s good for adults too! Join in, relax and enjoy discovering what matters most to your child.

Your Partner in Play

Your child’s teacher is always happy to discuss what your child is exploring at home and during centre life. Together, we can celebrate the magic of learning through play.

Written by Karyn Charles – National Curriculum Lead at New Shoots Children’s Centres

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