Water play for schools is a must have outdoor play activity. This is because water play, along with sand play and messy play, have a range of fantastic sensory and developmental benefits which make them irresistible to young children.

The benefits of water play for schools in early years are well documented, thanks to the fantastic developmental opportunities that this provision brings.

Water play can encourage both gross and fine motor skill development, and you can target specific developmental skill areas by offering a variety of experiences and enhancements. Your school could promote gross motor skill development by installing and ESP PLAY Magnetic Water Wall, or by using resources such as buckets, funnels, sieves and containers. Teachers can set up activities or games where children must fill and carry water from one place to another.

Water play encourages groups of children to play together in an early year’s outdoor play area. This makes the water area a great opportunity to observe imaginative role-play games, it helps promotes social interaction with each other and naturally develops problem solving skills. By adding a water play resources storage shed close to the play space, additional resources such as small-world characters, boats or sea creatures make great inspiration for fun and imaginative role-play sessions.