The Grand opening of the New Soft Playroom.
On Wednesday 22nd November we opened the new soft playroom with the F1 children. The Principal, Mark Sayer, cut the ribbon and welcomed the F1 children inside. The train was very popular with a train driver at the front and passengers in the back. They also enjoyed the different slides and slopes. Later in the week the F2 and F3 children joined in the fun. All the children were extremely excited and we had to keep reminding them to be careful by trying to stay in a space so that they did not bump into their friends.
The benefits of a soft play room are extensive and we are so grateful at BVIS to have a brand new one just for our Early Year’s children. Your child will experience and learn lots of developmental skills, as well as life skills when they go inside. Some of these will include; developing their physical health, emotional well-being, social skills, imagination and language skills.
The NHS in the UK and the World Health Organisation recommend that children exercise for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day which staff at BVIS ensure the students do inside and outside of the Early Year’s building, weather permitting.
How will the soft playroom benefit your child?
When your child stays active, they have an easier time controlling their weight, decreasing blood pressure and the risk of diabetes, as well as boosting their self-confidence. Studies show that children who engage in regular physical activity are not only healthier physically but mentally as well, so your child will have a more positive outlook on life. Good physical fitness helps motivate them in school, to tackle each day with an alert mind and willingness to face problems head on.
Physical activity can support:
Being active helps your child with their balance, coordination and mobility. For example, a child stacking the large spongy blocks into towers is not only learning about gravity and balance but also developing their hand-eye coordination.
Active children have the opportunity to enhance bone health and muscular development. Improving their strength allows them to be able to confidently pick heavy objects up and carry them around the room without support.
Physical activity can help develop skills, such as self-esteem, resilience, confidence and problem solving skills. In F1, many children will play side-by-side, something that we call ‘parallel play’. In the F2 and F3 classes, they will start to interact with each other a little more by creating complex story lines together. As they do this, they learn to negotiate, cooperate, and share. When children disagree about who gets to be the mummy or who will be the train driver, they are actually developing important social skills. Using an indoor play space can also help your child to self-regulate. It will increase their language skills and boost their social skills so they can get along better with peers, pay attention to instructions, and keep their behaviour in check better as they become more aware of their friends around them.
Through imaginative play, children begin to strengthen their cognitive connections, boosting their learning ability by helping brain cells grow and thrive.
Not only is physical activity good for the development of the body, but it makes the brain work better too. Brain structure grows as people get fitter. Physical activity boosts your memory, improves concentration and improves mental health, no matter what age you are!
So, in the Early Years, we look forward to using the soft playroom as an area that not only develops your child’s physical fine- and gross-motor skills but their personal, social and emotional wellbeing as well.
Ms Julie Walton
Head of Early Years
