Does a Childcare Playground Really Need an Aeroplane?

Does a childcare playground really need an aeroplane or a truck? Probably not. But you should see what happens when children have one.

One moment, they are pilots preparing for take off. The next, they are drivers making an important delivery, explorers travelling somewhere new or a team deciding where their next adventure will take them.

To an adult, it might just look like a vehicle. To a child, it can become an entire world.

And that leads to a bigger question for parents choosing childcare: what should children actually be doing when they play outside?

Why Is Outdoor Play Important in Childcare?

Outdoor play is much more than giving children somewhere to run. ACECQA recognises outdoor environments as an important part of children’s learning, wellbeing and development. Quality outdoor spaces can encourage children to explore, discover, move, solve problems, be creative and connect with the natural environment.

Raising Children Network also highlights that outdoor play can give children opportunities to test their physical abilities, express themselves, build confidence and explore nature. For families who do not have a large backyard at home, the outdoor environment at childcare can become an especially valuable part of a child’s day.

Is Playing Outside Actually Learning?

Yes. Imagine several children climbing into a pretend aeroplane. One child decides to be the pilot, another wants to be a passenger and someone decides where they are going. Then another child changes the plan completely.

Before the aeroplane has even left the playground, children may already be practising:

Communication
Explaining ideas, asking questions and listening to each other.

Creativity
Turning a real object into an imaginary story.

Problem solving
Deciding what happens next and finding solutions when ideas are different.

Social skills
Sharing space, taking turns and negotiating roles.

Confidence
Testing ideas and contributing to group play.

ACECQA explains that play based learning can involve children making plans, creating characters, solving problems, negotiating with others and developing their own ideas. If you would like to understand this approach in more depth, read What Is Play Based Learning?

So when your child tells you “I flew an aeroplane today”, there might have been much more learning happening than the sentence suggests.

Why Does Woodlands Have Aeroplanes and Trucks in Its Playgrounds?

Real aeroplanes, trucks and other distinctive play spaces have become part of the Woodlands experience. The purpose is not simply to have something unusual in the playground. It is what children can do with it.

Unlike a toy with only one obvious purpose, imaginative spaces can change every day depending on the children using them. Today the truck might deliver food. Tomorrow it might become a fire truck. Next week it could be part of a completely different story.

Woodlands designs these spaces to encourage imagination and play based learning, alongside experiences in science, nature, cooking and creative exploration. At Woodlands Boronia, for example, the outdoor environment includes an old truck designed for imaginative play alongside sand, water play, bikes, a kitchen garden and other outdoor experiences.

Useful links: Our Centres | Book a Tour | Play Based Learning

Related reading: How to Know Your Child Feels Safe at Childcare

What About Nature Play?

A great outdoor environment should offer more than playground equipment. Children also benefit from opportunities to interact with sand, water, plants, leaves, gardens, insects and changing weather. ACECQA notes that nature based experiences can support curiosity, creativity, collaborative play and children’s appreciation of the natural world.

At Woodlands, our curriculum can include experiences such as nature walks, bug hunts, vegetable gardens, sensory play, egg hatching and worm farms. That means outdoor learning might begin with something as simple as “What is hiding under this leaf?” and suddenly become a conversation about insects, habitats, counting, movement and science.

You can explore this further in our article National Science Week in Melbourne: Why Science Starts Earlier Than You Think, where we explain how curiosity and investigation become part of early learning at Woodlands.

What Should Parents Look for in a Childcare Playground?

When visiting a childcare centre, do not only ask “How big is the playground?” Ask what children can actually do there.

Can they create their own games and interact with nature? Can they run, climb and move? Are there quiet spaces as well as active spaces, and can the same equipment be used in different ways? Most importantly, are educators using the outdoor environment as part of the learning program?

It also helps to notice how children connect with their educators. Children tend to explore with more confidence when they feel safe and supported, which we explore in How to Know Your Child Feels Safe at Childcare. A beautiful playground is valuable, but a thoughtful outdoor learning environment is much more than how it looks.

What About Sun Protection?

Outdoor play in Australia also needs thoughtful sun safety. Woodlands provides sunscreen as part of the daily fee, helping families know that sun protection is part of children’s everyday care when outdoor conditions require it.

Parents should still talk with their individual centre about hats, clothing, allergies or any specific sunscreen requirements for their child. Sun safety does not mean children should miss out on outdoor experiences. It means outdoor play needs to be planned responsibly.

The Playground Can Tell You a Lot About a Childcare Centre

Parents often compare childcare centres by looking at rooms, fees, opening hours and location. But the playground can tell you something important too. It can show whether children are simply being entertained or being given opportunities to imagine, investigate, move, collaborate and create.

At Woodlands Childcare & Education, our outdoor environments are part of the wider play based learning experience. Sometimes that means exploring nature, building or getting messy. And sometimes it means climbing into an aeroplane and deciding: “Where are we going today?”

If you are looking for childcare in Melbourne, Victoria or Geelong, come and see the Woodlands experience for yourself.

Find your nearest Woodlands centre and book a tour to explore our indoor and outdoor learning environments, meet our educators and see what play can become when children are given space to imagine.

Published by Hamish Rotstein, Owner, Woodlands Childcare & Education.