Think back to your own childhood for a moment.
Maybe you remember heading off to the park with friends or siblings, knowing you’d be gone for hours. The slide might have been hot from the sun, so you learned to cover your legs before zooming down. You knew which dogs to avoid, which houses welcomed visitors, and where the best spots were for a game of elastics or collecting sticks for a campfire lunch.
Those adventures didn’t need constant adult direction, but they did happen in environments that invited exploration, challenge, and fun.
How We Think About Outdoor Play Today
At Sprouts Early Learning, we take the same approach when creating our outdoor spaces: we design them with intention so children can engage in self-directed, meaningful play.
While educators are present to ensure safety and provide support when needed, our outdoor environments are set up so children have the freedom to explore, experiment, and imagine, just like we did as kids.
The Building Blocks of Play
We think of our outdoor spaces as having two layers:
The Seen Reality – the things you can spot right away:
- Loose parts (big and small) for building, stacking, and inventing
- Tools and utensils for digging, mixing, and creating
- Sand, soil, mud, clay, and water for sensory play
- Dolls, blocks, and construction sets for imaginative scenarios
- Furnishings like cushions, blankets, and sheets to make cubbies or cosy corners
- Well-maintained, organised resources that are ready to use
The Unseen Reality – the beliefs and values that guide us:
- A commitment to kindness and respect in every interaction
- A belief in the value of children’s play as a serious form of learning
- A love for creating spaces that are both beautiful and functional
- An understanding of each child’s unique interests and ways of playing
Invitations to Explore
You might find a table set with clay, natural tools, flowers, and leaves, an invitation for children to press nature into the clay and see what shapes and patterns appear. Or a dry creek bed filled with water, gumboots, and bare feet ready for splashing.
We create these spaces not to tell children exactly what to do, but to spark curiosity and joy. We make sure children can choose whether to join in, and we keep the environment fresh by resetting areas for the next burst of creativity.
Why This Matters
Outdoor play at Sprouts isn’t just about fresh air. It’s about building confidence, problem-solving skills, and resilience. It’s about learning how to work together, take safe risks, and explore the world in a way that’s both fun and deeply meaningful.
And just like in our own childhoods, the best learning happens when children feel free to play, explore, and discover in their own way, in a space that’s safe, beautiful, and designed just for them.
