It’s a well-known fact that outdoor play helps develop a child’s motor skills, coordination, balance and agility – and it’s fun!
That’s why we have curated a special outdoor space for our little friends at Sonas Childcare Karrinyup with an extensive range of activities from a bike track, dedicated physical activity area, water play and lots of natural bushy surrounds.
Sonas Karrinyup centre manager Maddy Froome said children at the centre were especially active and loved to explore the nature-based yard.
“Outdoor spaces with a range of environments and play options are really important for our kids,” Maddy said. “At Sonas, our philosophy is based on the Reggio Emilia-Montessori approach, which is about learning, exploring and experimenting in the natural environment.
“Our children are really active and love being outside a lot of the time. We want to foster and encourage that if that’s what they want to do, which is also part of the Sonas philosophy of child-led learning.”
Sonas Karrinyup centre manager Maddy Froome
Sonas Karrinyup’s outdoor area includes a large undercover area, which is being transformed into a physical activity area with climbing frames and a tumble mat, a bridge with a water pump and gully; and a nature play area with bushes, trees and shrubs.
“We also have a little nature trail with wooden stepping stones and a big log that the children can walk along, which is great for balancing,” Maddy said.
“We normally do stories like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and make believe that we’re going on a bear hunt, walking through the trees and long wavy grass. It’s very interactive.
“We also have lilly pilly trees as well and have made lilly pilly jam before as part of our NAIDOC Week activities.”
And, of course, the sandpit is always a crowd favourite.
Sonas Karrinyup’s impressive outdoor play space compliments Sonas’s commitment to exercise and physical activity for children, which has included its involvement in the Telethon Kids Institute’s Play Active program.
Play Active is an evidence-based program designed to help early childhood and education centres (ECECs) increase the amount of physical activity children undertake every day.
It guides educators to make a conscious shift from incidental to dedicated physical activity opportunities, such as hopping, jumping and skipping to wash their hands or eat lunch.
“Whereas before our educators would just get children to walk, maybe in pairs, to the next activity, now they’ll give children physical activity movement to do in those transitions as well,” Sonas owner Shelley Prendergast said.
Research shows only a third of Australian children aged between two and five meet the recommended level of at least three hours of physical activity a day.