Learning through play

WITKOPPEN – Pupils said to develop their skills through playing with water.

June 20, 2016

Masego Seemela 1 minute read

CREATIVE MINDS: Pupils of Junior Colleges Gardens engage in a water playground initiative.

Pupils of Junior Colleges Gardens engaged in a water playground initiative to help aid their physical development.

This was introduced by the teachers of the school as they believe water play enhances children’s eye-hand co-ordination which strengthens the pupil’s physical skills through pouring, stirring, scrubbing, and squirting. They also believe that gross motor skills are strengthened by running, splashing, dodging water drops, playing on lawn water slides and hopping through a sprinkler.

“Water also offers a range of sensorial experiences as different textures, through mixing water with different materials, and different temperatures such as warm, cool, and cold are explored,” the school’s principal, Elizabeth Steenkamp said.

She added that most children loved to play with water and there was a multitude of ways to experiment with it. “Water play fosters learning in all developmental areas. It provides learning opportunities for children to experiment with. In maths and science concepts, the use of water in various containers of different sizes encourages knowledge in volume, estimation and measurement. Playing with objects floating and sinking fosters problem-solving skills.”

COLOURFUL SKILLS: A water wall is created to enhance children's eye-hand co-ordination which strengthens their physical skills. — COLOURFUL SKILLS: A water wall is created to enhance children’s eye-hand co-ordination which strengthens their physical skills.

The school provided tips to improve children’s development:

Plastic trays or bowls are sufficient for babies and young children to explore the different elements such as floating and sinking. Larger water trays can be used for older children.

Fill a number of large and small plastic bottles with water, add food colouring, and drop in a selection of small objects such as plastic beads, little toy people etc. Screw the lid on and seal with tape. Babies are said to enjoy picking up the bottles and shaking them as they watch the objects in the coloured water slowly drifting up and down.