At Little Explorers Day Nursery Bury St Edmunds we have now started to implement free flow play. Free flow play allows the children to move independently between environments, choosing to play inside and outdoors. At Little explorers Day Nursery, Bury St Edmunds we are able to offer children many learning and development opportunities and it enables our practitioners to fully embrace the use of the whole environment.
Ways in which free flow can benefit children’s development;

• Greater independence – As children are able to access the different environments freely it helps them develop greater independence. They are able to make those independent choices as to whether they play outdoors or access the messy activities inside. Older children especially strive on being given extra responsibilities and this will help them later on in life.

• Progress at own pace – Children shouldn’t be rushed in their learning, it should be about giving children time to fully embrace the skills they are learning. Free flow gives children the opportunity to develop at their own pace, they can decide to either spend the morning outside participating in the stimulating activities or sitting at the table manipulating play dough.

• Decision making – As children are able to choose where they would like to play and with what, this is developing their decision making skills. As they get older they will begin to learn that their choices may have consequences.

• Physical well being – Offering children the choice especially the outdoors enables them the opportunity to run around and build on their physical skills. The outdoor space is great for those children who prefer to be outdoors, as practitioners can use their skills and mirror the indoor activities outdoors.

• Learning about the different environments – As children explore the different environment it opens up many leaning opportunities as they discover the difference between inside and outside

At little Explorers Day Nursery, Bury St Edmunds we are always looking at way in which we can develop the children’s independence and learning opportunities. We look forward to seeing how the children enjoy our new way of learning.