How to Create Soft Play Spaces in Schools

Too often we draw a firm line between play and education, and too often we view play as a reward for “hard work.” In reality, play is the key to helping children fall in love with learning.

Thanks to the “hard work” of many therapists, teachers, parents and thought leaders, you’d be hard pressed to find a person today who doesn’t see the merits of play for young children, both as a central component of early development and as a tool to sharpen problem-solving skills.

However, in many peoples’ minds, the importance of play starts to diminish as children move up through the school system. To some, play seems like an academic distraction.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth; in fact, this stance can be damaging to many children.

While play habits change, the benefits remain, yet only 25% of children get enough playtime.

The Importance of Blending Learning and Play
No matter the age group in question, factoring play into learning brings significant benefits, even types of play we might typically associate with younger children. Tactile play, creative play, constructive play, they all help children engage and interact with the world of learning.

Across all age groups, play is central to:

• Social development: Play offers a safe place for children to explore social situations and hone communication skills, teaching the benefits of teamwork and collaboration.


• Cognitive development: Play offers engaging opportunities to put problem solving skills to the test, teaching the benefits of critical thinking, adaptability, and resilience.


• Emotional development: Play enables children to feel and navigate tricky emotions in a safe and secure setting, teaching the benefits of healthy emotional regulation.

By ensuring our children have ample opportunities to play in school, we not only empower them to develop as people, but help them find their own unique way to interact with learning.

Six Steps to Create Enriching Soft Play Spaces in Schools
So, we’ve covered why promoting play in school is important, but what practical steps can teachers and caregivers take to provide children with ample opportunities to engage in play?

Well, one particular type of play environment seems a good place to start—soft play spaces.

To some, soft play spaces (a play area designed with soft, padded, and cushioned materials so children can explore, climb, crawl, and play safely) may be seen only as environments for younger children to burn off a little energy, but they provide ideal settings for children of all ages to navigate important types of play, ranging from collaborative and associative play to tactile and constructive play.

Here are six steps to create safe, enriching soft play spaces in schools that stimulate learning:

1. Identify goals: What learning outcomes are you hoping to achieve? Soft play spaces can address many different types of learning at once, for example, obstacle courses can teach problem solving skills, building areas can foster STEAM learning and interactive panels can help teachers integrate curriculum material into play scenarios.
   
   
2. Prioritize safety: This includes using safe materials, ensuring transitional areas are padded and demarked and following physical security best practices around the site, like controlling access to the play space and having plans in place for emergencies.
   
   
3. Build defined zones: Marking out specific areas for different types of play can help teachers learn what types of play and learning resonate with different children, while also ensuring children with different interests are not drawn away from the activities that bring them joy.
   
   
4. Make transitions fun: Moving between play spaces should become part of the experience, providing extra opportunities and avenues for play. Learning materials, floor markings and interactive panels can be incorporated into transitional pathways to gradually shift tones through different types of play and blend in educational goals.
   
   
5. Add tactile elements: Soft play spaces in schools offer great opportunities to build sensory and tactile areas for children who benefit from them. When defining zones, dedicate one or two areas to quieter activities and interactive elements more fitting for solitary play and give children comfortable spaces to access when overstimulated.
   
   
6. Don’t withhold access: Finally, it’s important to combat the outdated idea that play should be a reward for work by providing kids access to soft play spaces with relative freedom. Of course, traditional and play-based learning must be balanced, but some children engage better with learning in play-based settings—try to speak to this need.

Play and education go hand-in-hand. Efforts to engage children in both will help them to identify practical ways to explore their capabilities. By providing children of all ages with more opportunities to play, such as through interactive, engaging, and tactile soft play spaces, teachers and caregivers can help children view learning in a new, exciting light.

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