Spring has proven time and time again to arrive not only with an array of beautiful, blossoming flowers and freshness but also with hay fever weather warnings, according to the news. And what follows next tends to be heat waves and higher temperatures, which can make the little one’s playtime more difficult during the summer months if not done in the right way.
In this article, we are going to discuss how to improve early years play with a water play wall, and what are the benefits of water wall play for your pupils.
Why Invest In A Water Play Wall
Preparing your outdoor play area for summer is a key component of your school’s curriculum.
A great way to offer students the possibility to experience outdoor play whilst having a cool off is through our wonderful Complete Water Wall, which brings a new dimension to your playground. Our children’s water play wall brings investigative learning and much-needed fun to your early years’ playground, together with all the wonderful benefits of water play for children. On hot days, water play provides hours of rich and valuable early childhood experiences to develop their creativity and imagination.
At Red Monkey Play, our water walls are completely customizable, where mesh and wood can be interchangeable with exciting interactive chutes and waterways. Even more, we can create a bespoke and engaging Water Area for your school by connecting water pulley systems and tactile Discovery Tables to facilitate learning.
Water Play Wall Benefits
Now you’re probably wondering why exactly should you invest in a water play wall for early years learning, so here are a number of benefits of how it can boost the development of your children.
Develops Motor Skills
Being a teacher of early years learners requires a holistic approach to their development, as you can’t just focus on your subjects, you need to look at the children as a whole. During the early years, your goal is to develop pupils into little functioning humans, the reason why developing motor skills is vital.
Without motor skills, kids can’t carry out basic tasks as soon as they should, for example, to be able to write well, they must hold the pencil properly, so developing their general fine motor skills benefits them greatly. Furthermore, children can also increase their hand-eye coordination through actions like pouring, squirting, scrubbing, stirring, and squeezing. There are many reasons to should invest in natural outdoor play equipment, as with water being so slippery, the little ones can easily develop their grip strength in an exciting way as these textures will be very new to them.
Mastering grip strength will have them writing before you know it, whilst the sensory elements will surely keep them occupied, due to the slipperiness and different temperatures of the water. At Red Monkey Play, we truly believe that we can improve child development with sensory playground equipment, and incorporating water play equipment might be one of the best ways to do so!
Develops Problem Solving Skills
We all know how important problem-solving skills are in life, especially as every employer will be looking for these skills later in life, and they will need to be demonstrated daily for most skilled jobs. Therefore, it is essential that children start to learn these skills as soon as possible.
Water wall outdoor play offers early years students a great opportunity to develop these skills, whilst teaching them cause and effect, as well as allowing them to experiment with play. Watching different objects interact with water, and seeing what floats and what sinks really makes this apparent when they experiment with this new knowledge. The result is much more confidence in using their natural imagination whilst developing creative thinking, which plays an important role in problem-solving.
Develop Language Skills
Developing language skills in early learners is a two-pronged approach that can be done through dedicated lessons and learning through their environment by exploring as much as possible.
While having English classes is very useful, early learners can benefit so much more from just being around speakers, and having fun with them, as when put in these circumstances you’ll find they’re much more willing to speak, especially when it’s about a topic they like.
This means you should converse with students about what they’re doing by asking them what it is they like or do they know what various objects and textures are. Imagine then the number of new words they’ll learn while having fun with water and having conversations about it! At strategic moments during water play, you can even ask intentional questions to extend children’s thinking and expand their memory, but don’t forget to use evidence to support any ideas discussed.
Develop Social Skills And Improve Mental Wellbeing
The development of social skills is one of the most important areas in any child’s development and growth.
You want them to become social as early as possible, as this will help them succeed in expressing themselves even when they are upset or don’t like something, therefore, they’ll learn how to protect themselves in a non-violent way. Many developments come from observing parents’ behaviors, but school and playtime can have a massive effect too, if not greater.
Creating a shared water wall play space can really help with the development of social skills, as it encourages role play and the formation of crucial social skills like cooperation and sharing. Therefore, children can learn how to work with one or several peers by taking turns and sharing the play space and their toys in friendly ways.
Having a water play wall in your playground can create a sense of tranquility, which can also help children’s mental well-being because water has a very calming effect that can encourage the little ones to take some much-needed downtime throughout their school time. Repetitive tasks like pouring and scooping water allow kids to learn how to concentrate on one task at a time, and how to unwind and relax. However, the opposite can be achieved as well by allowing them to release any excess energy through water play whilst splashing and playing around.
Increased Understanding Of Science And Maths
As mentioned previously, a water play wall can allow children to observe how things interact with water, which is a fantastic investigative resource that will develop their understanding of scientific topics like gravity, flow, the water cycle, water recycling, source to mouth, and kinetic energy. It can also teach them about mass, volume, and the weight of different materials.
For example, one of the best water play wall ideas is to see how much water volume kids can save from splashing on the floor! Another example is learning about quantities such as full, empty, and half full where they can experiment with buckets and cups to understand how containers work. They can use these containers to measure, compare volumes, and observe motion when poured, which is a great way to understand measuring to have them performing science experiments in no time.
How Can Red Monkey Play Help You
We pride ourselves in crafting unique and engaging Sensory Playground Equipment and play environments for children that are vital in developing crucial skills, encouraging learning, and reaching goals. With imagination and creativity being at the heart of everything, we’ve been capturing the attention of early years students for over 20 years whilst always maintaining the use of safe and environmentally friendly playground equipment in the process.
We work with schools and nurseries across the UK to create stunning bespoke playgrounds, and we’d love to work with you too! If you want to discover more or explore our wide range of playground equipment, contact us today to find out how we can restore the fun to your playground. You can give us a call at our Leicester Office at 0116 366 9922, or send us an email at hello@redmonkeyplay.co.uk, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
