The Importance of Water Play for Early Years all year round!

Water play is fantastic fun!

Water play provides early years with a multitude of learning and development opportunities. Newby Leisure design and manufacture natural playground equipment that encourages children to play - whatever the weather! Each educational resource is designed to enhance early year development whilst being fun and engaging for kids.

Ever wondered what the benefits of Water Play are for kids?

1. Emotionally Therapeutic

Did you know that water play can also be a tranquil activity? Similar to adults enjoying a hot bath or swimming in a nice warm pool: early years can often be seen losing themselves in the gentle repetition of water play. Children relax as they pour, scoop and run their little hands through the water allowing them to unwind, relax and order their busy minds.

2. Promotes Cognitive Development

Water play isn’t just a fun activity, it offers many opportunities for early years to learn about their outdoor environment and begin building their logical and mathematically thinking. Children naturally problem solve, explore and experiment as they play. They begin to discover what objects float and sink or how water moves as it is poured into different containers. Through water play, they discover that water flows downhill and will find a natural horizontal level. They may also be exploring measurements and mathematical equations such as “more than” or “less than” as they fill different sized buckets of water.

3. Develop Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Scooping, pouring and running their small hands through water isn't only therapeutic, it allows early years to build their fine and gross motor skills. They begin to develop natural grip movements which grow more refined with time and repetition. Through water play, children constantly refine fine motor skills, as well as hand and eye coordination: especially when filling and emptying water-filled containers in a variety of different ways. When children carry these containers their developing large muscle groups and gross motor skills. Core strength and stamina are built as children splash, kick and move their bodies through the water.

4. Master Social Skills

Water play allows early years to develop important social skills when working in a pair or groups. This is a great way for children to learn how to share and negotiate. They learn how to share a space with other children and how to take turns when playing. Through teamwork and co-operation, early years begin to develop crucial skills needed for relationships in the future.

5. Building Language and Communication Skills

Water play is such a versatile activity. The possibilities are endless and almost any item can be used from sponges, cars and even dinosaurs. As children play together they discover and build new vocabulary, during different play scenarios. Alongside developing new vocabulary, children will often role-play different situations. As they play in pairs or groups they practice words out loud and string sentences together. Pretty quickly they're able to structure more complicated sentences. As they become more competent in socialising they learn to work alongside each other, taking turns in listening and speaking.

6. Stimulates Creativity and Imagination

Water play stretches a child’s imagination as they explore new ways to use water! Newby Leisure design products that aid and enhance children’s imaginations. The Children’s Activity Boat allows early years to role-play riding choppy waves on the ocean and fuelling their boat with the Children’s Petrol Pump at the harbour. When early years explore their imagination they develop innovative and creative thinking that will help them in the future when it comes to employment.

7. Builds Physical Strength

Water play can have a calming invigorating effect on children. It's a great psychical activity for early years because they vigorously splash, kick and running around. Water play is a great outlet, both psychically and mentally. Children build key muscle groups whilst letting off steam at the same time!

Why not try Newby Leisure’s Outdoor Water Play Equipment!

Children’s Petrol Pump (SKU: NLCOM-193)

The Children's Petrol Pump is perfect for water play! This beautifully designed wooden Petrol Pump will be a great addition to any early years outdoor setting. Children can use the pump at the back of the product to flush water out of the tube at the end. Designed to develop personal, social and communication skills, the wooden Petrol Pump is great for group play. Made from FSC Pressure Treated Redwood Timber, the pump will withstand all weather conditions.

£395.00 + VAT

Water Tunnel (SKU: NLCOM-106)

Outdoor Water Play Unit, with a twist! If you’re looking for a mark marking and water play item in one, Newby Leisure's Water Tunnel is a product your school will love. Our Water Tunnel is simple for children to use. Watch as they pump water over the tunnel or use the easy-wipe Lexan for mark marking. For added effect, you can add colourants to the water. This is a product that offers great social interaction as groups of children will gather around the product to play and learn. Made from FSC Pressure Treated Redwood Timber.

£695.00 + VAT

Exciting and challenging, Newby Leisure's H Shaped Water Wall will get children thinking about fluidity and measures. Pump the water through the channels and watch the water flow down the water wall! Children will move the pipes and reposition them to help develop their hand and eye co-ordination. This wonderful timber play resource is easy to assemble and perfect for any school, nursery or pre-school. Made from FSC Pressure Treated Redwood Timber.

£995.00 + VAT

Children’s Activity Boat (SKU: NLCOM-151)

A-hoy! Newby Leisure's outdoor wooden Activity Boat is a brilliant open-ended product kids will love! This robust boat is a simple design for children to climb in and out of to engage in social play. Whether it is to be used as a fish boat, pirate boat or dressed-up into any boat a child's imagine desires, this timber boat will look great in any play environment. Complete with a flat base, it will lend itself to any playground or residential garden. Made from FSC Pressure Treated Redwood Timber.

£495.00 + VAT