Step Ahead Teacher with children

Let’s get wet, wet, wet

Imagine if adults could embrace rainy days with the carefree abandon of children. Given half the chance, would you dance in a storm or race leaves in a rushing drain? What about leaping wholeheartedly into a muddy puddle, rather than skirting around the outside to avoid wet shoes?

Imagine if adults could embrace rainy days with the carefree abandon of children. Given half the chance, would you dance in a storm or race leaves in a rushing drain? What about leaping wholeheartedly into a muddy puddle, rather than skirting around the outside to avoid wet shoes? 

Water play brings out a simple joy in both young and old. It’s such fun to get wet! Too often we run inside at the first spot of rain but there is so much to learn by embracing all-weather outdoor play and water play in general. 

Take a puddle, for example. How deep is this puddle? What will happen if I put my foot in this puddle? How about my hands — does it feel cold or warm? Does the water make a noise when I touch it? Can I pick up the water, or fill a cup? 

Embracing the outdoors in rain or shine has exciting benefits for developing minds. Young children will learn about opposites through water play, such as hot/cold, wet/dry, empty/full. Older children discover the basic principles of science, such as how water moves and flows, and how different objects act in water — do they float or sink? Water play also has social benefits. Children react differently to water, so they may learn not to splash Charlotte too much, or that Nico needs a friend by his side to build his confidence.

Our teachers at Step Ahead believe that allowing play to be child-led, rather than teacher-led, lets young minds discover and learn through their interactions and experiments, rather than guiding them to specific outcomes. Play becomes more creative and spontaneous and their imagination can run wild, with fun and surprisingly educational results. 

We’re all about embracing the weather and jumping in puddles – raincoats and gumboots help to keep our children relatively clean and dry; however, leaving the ‘good clothes’ at home and having a few back-up outfits in their kindergarten bag is a must!

Try it at home: Having fun with water is as easy as grabbing the hose and raiding the kitchen cupboards. Fill some large mixing bowls with water, and use cups, a sieve, jars or spoons to move the water. Add a few drops of food colouring for an additional learning opportunity — the children will enjoy creating new colours as they play.