At Sonas, we recently held an Disney Open Day Play Lab for our centre and the wider community.
The centre provided children with multiple themed play stations inspired by popular Disney movies.
The areas included:
- Frozen: Role play with costumes, building for ice castles, and sensory snow.
- Cars: Toy car races, track construction, and pretend workshops for fixing vehicles.
- Finding Nemo: Ocean sensory tub with toy fish, shells, and water beads for exploration and sorting.
- Lion King: Jungle play with animal figurines, singing, and dramatic role-play.
- Lilo & Stitch: Hawaiian-We had movie time, dancing, and “ohana” storytelling.
- Cookie Decorating: Children decorated cookies with icing and sprinkles, showcasing creativity and fine motor skills.
Observation
Children actively engaged in all areas of the play lab.
They collaborated in Frozen role play, building castles together and negotiating character roles. In the Cars area, children problem-solved while building tracks and shared cars during races.
The Finding Nemo sensory play encouraged children to scoop, pour, and classify ocean animals.
Lion King play prompted children to imitate animal movements and sing together, showing joy and confidence.
In the Lilo & Stitch corner, children danced, and watched and talked about family and friendship. Cookie decorating captured attention, with children carefully spreading icing, choosing decorations, and expressing pride in their creations.
Analysis
- Cognitive Development: Sorting fish, building tracks, and planning cookie designs promoted problem-solving and sequencing.
- Social/Emotional Development: Children practiced teamwork, turn-taking, and expressed feelings through songs and stories.
- Physical Development: Fine motor skills were supported through cookie decorating and block building; gross motor skills were practiced in dancing and role play.
- Creative Development: Dramatic play, singing, dancing, and decorating cookies encouraged imagination and self-expression.