Expressive Arts Playground Ideas

Expressive arts make up some of the most important factors of children’s early development in any learning environment. While the classroom may be used to help pupils understand basic concepts, any child from 0 to 5 can engage in creative activities thanks to expressive arts playground ideas from an early age.

This type of play forms part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS, for children up to 5 years of age. Therefore, playground equipment and associated modules can help to encourage preschool kids to express themselves through a variety of means. Drama, art, creative play and music all come together to form the arts, and these can be introduced to children early on in development.

Whether or not your child goes on to be an amazing artist or musician, it is a great idea to encourage creativity in pre-schoolers so that they can easily express themselves in the years to come. There are so many different options for Early Years outdoor play that you could incorporate into your playground facilities.

Many expressive arts playground ideas are making their way to school and preschool settings to help encourage early expression – here is a small overview of what to expect from such playground additions.

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Creative Outdoor Play Equipment

Children are amazingly imaginative and creative, and while plenty of standard playground equipment will help to bring out the explorer or the performer in your little ones, creative outdoor play equipment will help to develop expression even further.

Whether it’s making a mess, composing a tune or working with others to create something unique, the right expressive arts playground ideas will allow kids to explore worlds of sound, art, performance and more with little encouragement. For very young children, guidance is of course a must – but many types of creative play equipment can be simply supervised in order for kids to explore expressive arts in their own time.

Outdoor musical instruments are a great way for children to come together to make music and to understand how tunes are composed. Performance stages are a brilliant idea if you are aiming to encourage your kids to embrace drama and to show off their acting chops. You could also include den building equipment which children can use to make pretend houses and structures.

Activity play panels and messy play areas – that’s mud, sand, water and more – will delight youngsters of all ages, but will especially encourage those early developers to create, imagine and roleplay at their leisure. These outdoor play ideas and installations are easy to set up and are well-loved by kids up and down the country – and your pupils will need little encouragement to give them a go!

EYFS Expressive Arts and Design

EYFS Expressive Arts and Design, or EAD, is all about encouraging children’s curiosity. Creativity and curiosity should never be stifled, and revisions to EYFS now encourage teachers and guardians to help younger children explore various media and tools in order to easier express themselves with a wealth of creative materials and toys.

It’s all about imagination – while some children will be able to create worlds and characters through music, others will dive into drama. Some may simply prefer to sculpt and explore with mud and sand – there are no rights or wrongs! Plenty of these activities can be used to increase exercise levels, view this post for more details.

Artistic expression is encouraged from an early age purely to introduce children to the idea that it is healthy to question the world around them and to be curious. Encouraging young children to make choices, to explore ideas, and to create stories with a variety of toys and tools is a great way to help them understand that it’s fun and healthy to be creative and to explore with their imagination.

Playground ideas and expressive art tools can help pupils to develop healthy confidence in a variety of skills and abilities, as well as to pursue creative endeavours if they wish to in later life. These tools and practices are designed and introduced to help children think and act creatively from an early age, so that they may put such confidence to use in later life.

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Early Years Musical Instruments

In early years musical instruments are developed and provided to allow children to explore a wild world of sound just waiting at their fingertips. Some of the commonly installed ones include:

Xylophones
Drums
Bells
Horns
Keyboards
Wind Chimes

Every musical instrument makes a different noise in a variety of tones, and while not every child may grow up to be Mozart, it’s healthy for them to explore and to understand the beauty of music and the different ways in which they can create tunes and sounds that appeal to them.

Instruments introduced as part of a wealth of playground ideas also make for brilliant collaboration. Encouraging children to work together from an early age is a fantastic idea – and making music together is not only exciting, but it also offers something new each and every time they play.

Along with other outdoor play installations, musical toys and games can be supervised with ease, particularly with younger children, while older ones can explore various sounds and instruments in their own time. Encouraging children to explore music in their own way is a great idea – these creative playground standards are here to be enjoyed, not to be regimented!

Nursery Dance and Drama Equipment

Dance and drama are two fantastic ways to help children express themselves. Many creative playground ideas, including specialised nursery dance and drama equipment, can be used to help youngsters explore characters, ideas and stories that their imaginations can brew up. As children grow older, their imaginations will, of course, develop and grow stronger – and it is in these early years of development that they should be encouraged the most. You could also incorporate imaginative play ideas into your outdoor space.

Outdoor drama stages, themed props and equipment can be fully supervised for a variety of games and productions, though older children can again be encouraged to work together to perform stories, musicals and more. See our full range of options for nursery play facilities here.

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There are many brilliant expressive arts playground ideas that can be put to use to help children to express themselves. Imagination and creativity are powerful tools that should never be stifled – and there’s never been a better time to start encouraging creative play for younger kids.

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