I can’t believe that we are on the final week of term before the summer holidays here at HQ, this year is flying by! I’m reflecting on the school year that has just gone by. I have predominately worked in schools and early years settings this year so I am reflecting on the amazing time I got to spend with these children. We run so many regular classes over the UK now and I know that our team that run classes in their local areas are also reflecting on the special moments that they have got to spend with your little ones over the year too. The benefits that these children have got from having a regular Pop Up Play Village visit has been so special. So, what are the benefits for your child when visiting our village on a regular basis?
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Confidence building – Having a regular visit builds on the children’s confidence week on week as they explore different ways to use the play areas for a variety of purposes. They get to test out ideas and experiences in an environment that they are familiar with.
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Speech and language development – Our village is perfect for encouraging children to talk in a relaxed and inspiring environment. Our village is centred on child led exploratory play which is an environment that children are comfortable in. As children are role playing, they are naturally wanting to listen to what others are saying and to communicate with each other.
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Develops social skills – Our village design encourages children to socialise and play together and share the village with each other. With the lockdowns that we have had recently, this way of learning is needed more than ever. Children can learn how to form good relationships with others and learn to resolve conflicts in a familiar comfortable environment.
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Making sense of the world – Our village gives children the opportunity to role play and test out different roles and experiences to get a better understanding of the world they live in. One minute they can be a builder and the next a doctor! It is an amazing way to explore and discover about the world around them in a play based environment where they can express their interests and preferences.
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Develops reading and writing skills – From our little visitors up to school age children, there are opportunities to develop these skills. Younger children can learn that print carries meaning such as when children are exploring the café menus or books in our library for example. For older children, there are reading and writing opportunities throughout our village some of which are added in to our village based on the appropriate level for the children that we are working with. We tailor our village to the group of children that we are working with.
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Develops mathematical and problem-solving skills – There are so many opportunities! A child can be counting the food they put into a supermarket basket or working out how much their meal is going to cost in the café or measuring their building in the construction site. Our village is a great way to encourage the development of mathematical skills in a play based environment. Maths is best taught in a practical way for young children, what a great way to do this in our village.
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Encourages creativity – In a world where things are changing constantly, it is important that our children are encouraged to develop their creative skills and think outside of the box. In our village, the children visiting own the village and lead their play. This encourages children to be as creative and imaginative as they like. By playing together and sharing ideas with each other, they are also learning from their peers too. It is always amazing to watch children role playing as there are always new ideas and no role play session is ever the same.
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Inspirational – It’s so important that children want to learn and to do this, the environment that they are in needs to be fun, inspirational and encourage children to want to explore. Our village has been designed completely with this in mind. Children love exploring and playing, they don’t even realise that they are learning whilst they have fun. This is the best way to support children’s development and encourage a love of learning for life.
