Adjust your schedule to the children's needs. For example, if it seems that they always want to go outside and play after lunch, allow for outside play before nap time. Arrival and Free Play Free play, the least structured kind of activity encourages children to try new toys. Many child care centers schedule free play immediately as children are arriving. This allows parents to bring their children into the center and help them to get settled.
Free play is great for children at any time of day.
Much of a child's learning takes place when they direct their own play activities. During play, children feel successful when they engage in a task they have defined for themselves, such as finding their way through an obstacle course with a friend or pouring water in and out of various containers. This means that free play and other activities should be designed to further emerging skills through creative activity and intense involvement. These kinds of activities are much more important for toddlers and preschoolers than workbooks, worksheets, coloring books, and adult-made models of art products for children to copy. The child's active participation with concrete, real-life experiences is a key to motivated learning when children start school.