We've Moved!

We're proud to announce the launch of the brand new Red Monkey Play site, establishing Red Monkey for 2014 and beyond!

The new website is the place to visit for Red Monkey products and deals, play industry news and information, and play and learning tips.

With the launch of the new site, we're moving the blog over there too. You can find all our articles, new and old, over on our news page, so make sure you bookmark us to keep up to date with news and information from Red Monkey.

Wishing you all a very happy new year, and we look forward to seeing you on the new site!

Case Study: Richardson Endowed Primary

The brief

The staff at Richardson Endowed wanted to transform their playground into an interactive play and learning environment for their Key Stage 1 classes. Before Red Monkey arrived, the playground was a square of grey tarmac with a canopy shelter at the centre and a few playground markings - not the most inspiring place for the children to play!

The Red Monkey design team set to work planning out a play area that includes favourites from our play and learning range, while making the most of the features already present in the play area. The final design included one of our popular Pirate Ship play units in a dedicated pirate play area, and a learning zone that incorporated the existing shelter.

From dusty tarmac...

...to a charming play area!

The H.M.S. Richard Endowed sets sail!

The result

The finished play area is a vibrant environment full of great ways to play and learn. The Crow’s Nest Pirate Ship takes centre stage, with palm trees and coloured safety flooring providing a great role play zone for the kids.

Hide away in the Explorer's Den.

The tarmac play area has been replaced with all-weather play grass, and the existing canopy shelter has been incorporated into the design, filled with play grass of its own and ringed by a path with thermoplastic road markings for children to race around.

The canopy itself has been filled with learning and play panels, perfect for taking the classroom outdoors. Some tables and benches have been added to create an ideal outdoor learning environment. 

The scenic story area.

Elsewhere, the new play area features some interactive learning panels, a reading circle feature our reading chair and rubber mushroom seats, an exciting water wall and our Explorer’s Den, a great hideaway for some creative play.

The reception

Both the kids and the staff at Richardson Endowed were overjoyed by their new play area - in fact, it sounds as though some of the staff are looking forward to playing on the H.M.S. Richardson even more than the kids.

Those smiles make all the work worthwhile!

You can see how pleased they are with the play area over at the Richardson Endowed Primary blog - we love to see children smiling on our newly-installed play equipment.

If you’d like to see similar smiles on the face of your kids, all you have to do is call us today on 0116 366 9922 and arrange a free site visit - we’ll bring some Red Monkey magic to your play area, just like we did at Richardson Endowed! If you'd like to browse our range of great play products, click here to view our online catalogue.

Fun with Den Building

Children love den building - provide them with some space and a few basic tools, and they'll be off making great little hideaway dens. But den building isn't just good fun - it's also a great way to get children to socialise and practice their creative play skills.

The benefits of den building

Challenging & creative play

Den building is a challenge that tests children's physical and mental skills - from planning out the perfect den to making the most of the resources available to build a great hideaway.

Social & imaginative play

Dens are most fun when shared with others - children love to get together and act out stories, whether their new den is a hobbit hole or a fairy cottage. As well as encouraging imaginative play, the act of den building is great to get kids to cooperate and work together to build the best den possible. 

Independent play

Den building is a great way to get children playing in a safe environment without adult supervision, encouraging independent play and creative thinking.

Natural play

Den building is a great way to get children interacting with their natural environment - the best dens are those constructed from the world around them. Involve trees, twigs, rocks and leaves in your den building and get children involved in the natural world.

Some simple den building tips

Children really don't need much encouragement or many resources to start den building - they can build a den almost anywhere! Try taking them out to a safe natural environment and providing them with some simple equipment - sticks, poles, blankets, that kind of thing. You'll be amazed how quickly they can put a den together from next to nothing.

Red Monkey provide a great range of play equipment especially designed to encourage den building - from simple den poles to ready-made outdoor den environments. If you're interested in adding some creative den building equipment to your play area, get in touch in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter, or simply give us a call on 0116 366 9922.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Winter Outdoor Play Ideas

Winter is a great time for children to play outdoors. Wrapped up against the chill, children love to play out in the frost and snow. We've written about the necessities of keeping children's play safe during winter months - now we're brining you some great play ideas to help you make the most of winter playtime!

If we're lucky enough to see some snow this winter, here are a few games your kids will love:

Footprint tag

It's just like tag, with a snowy twist; the chasing player can only step in others' footprints! An extra bit of challenge that only the snow can bring - it's a wintery take on a classic outdoor game.

Snowball target practice

The first thing children do when faced with a garden full of snow is roll up a snowball - so why not give them some target practice? Set up a target and a point to throw from, and they'll have great fun honing their snowball-chucking skills.

Snow hurdles

Snow makes for a natural obstacle course - why not roll up some small balls of snow and use them to set out a hurdle course. Children will love running and jumping over snow mounds, and it's a great way for them to get some exercise too.

Hat frisbee

First you'll need a snowman - that's a whole extra game in itself! Then you'll need a hat. Children take turns throwing the hat frisbee-style onto the head of the snowman - they score a point every time they successfully land it on his head.

These are just a few of the ways you can make the most of the winter months. Winter doesn't mean your children have to stay cooped up inside - get out there and start playing!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Winter Play Safety Tips

Winter can be a great time for outdoor play, but with temperatures dropping and the long nights setting in it's important to take a few extra safety precautions to keep children safe at play during winter months. Here are a few measures you can take to keep outdoor play safe and fun all winter long.

Wrap up warm

It may seem obvious, but keeping kids wrapped up warm in vital when they're out playing in cold weather. A thick waterproof coat, some good gloves, a hat and scarf are all important. Keep them bundled up underneath, too, with good thick jumpers and thermal underwear for those really bitter days.

Get some good wellies to keep their feet warm and dry in snowy conditions, and try to keep the rest of your child's clothes as waterproof as possible. Wool is better than cotton for this, as well as being warmer to boot. Of course, you can't always guarantee they'll stay dry, so...

Pack a change of clothing

If you're heading away from home for play time, you should pack some spare clothing just in case the children get wet. Nothing brings on a chill quicker than shivering in cold, wet clothing - if your child gets wet in the snow, then they should change out of their damp clothing as quickly as possible. Keeping a spare set of clothes in the boot of the car can save on some very damp and unhappy homeward journeys!

Supervise their play time

It's always important that children's outdoor play should be supervised, but this goes doubly for winter play. Always keep an eye on children playing around snow and water, and make sure to keep them away from any icy patches. And you should take extra care when it comes to outdoor play equipment...

Inspect outdoor play equipment

All good play equipment is designed to be used in any weather, but in wintery conditions you should always check the play equipment your children are going to be using before they play on it. Clear any buildups of snow or leaves, and check for any icy patches or sloppy surfaces. Metal play equipment in particular can become slippy when wet, so make extra sure that the equipment your children are going to be using is safe before they start playing.

Red Monkey Play equipment is designed to be safe and fun in any weather - with robust play-grade timber and non-slip decking, our equipment is perfect for play all year around. Click here to find out more about our great all-weather play equipment.

Follow these simple tips, and you're on your way to keeping your children safe and warm at play this winter. The cold weather doesn't mean you have to keep your kids shut up inside - get out there and play!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Learn through play with Play Blocks

We've written before about how play blocks can play an important part in a child's growing up - more than just a toy, they encourage creativity, cooperation and improve spatial awareness.

To help you make the most of play blocks as a fun learning tool, we've put together these simple tips to turn playtime into an exciting and educational adventure!

Play Blocks - Learning Tips

Encourage cooperation.

Having children build together is a great way to improve their social skills and encourage cooperation. Try to set cooperative building tasks with your play blocks - perhaps you could give different children different roles - Alice could be in charge of building turrets, while Jimmy is on bridge-building duty.

Set a building goal.

Challenge your children to improvise and work towards a specific goal by setting them a building goal. Task them with building a castle with three turrets, or a tower more than four blocks high. This exercise will help improve their focus and their problem-solving capabilities. 

Involve toys and stories.

Introduce an element of role-play to playtime by including play blocks as part of a story-telling experience. Other toys can easily be added to help tell the story - the children could be building a tower for Rapunzel, or houses for the three little pigs. Introducing guided role-playing is a great way to fuel children's imaginations. 

For more role-playing ideas, check out our article on teaching with role-play.

Play together.

Get down on the floor with your children and help guide their play directly. Not only will your children love playing with you, but research has shown that children benefit the most from creative play when they have someone there to guide their playtime.

Red Monkey Play Blocks - Built Just For You

Looking for the best way to introduce play blocks to your learning environment? Our new Play Blocks are designed specifically with learning and play in mind, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes to encourage creativity and role playing.

Built from the same play-grade timber as our playground equipment, these are a first-class play product. At only £19.90 for a box of 25 blocks (including delivery!), adding some creative play to your playtime won't break the bank!

To get yours call 0116 2813 975 today, drop us an email to service@redmonkeyplay.co.uk, or simply get in touch in the comments or by social media.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Outdoor Autumn Games

Autumn is a beautiful time of year - red leaves on the trees, freshly frosted grass, and piles of leaves on the ground too. It's a great time for kids to play outdoors, and easier than ever to use natural resources to make some great autumn games.

We've already discussed how conkers is a great playground game for autumn. Here are three new ideas for playground activities you can introduce this autumn, all of which make the most of the natural autumn environment!

Apple Bowling

All you need is some apples and a single conker. The game plays out just like lawn bowls, or boules; the conker is thrown first, and acts as a 'jack.' Then kids take turns rolling their apples, and the player that gets their apple closest to the conker jack wins the round. An easy autumnal take on a classic lawn game!

Autumn Obstacle Course

Autumn provides all sorts of natural ways to turn your playground into an exciting obstacle course. Make use of all those fallen leaves by making piles to set out the course. If you can get your hands on some hay-bales these make great jumps, and you can hang up strings of apples for kids to crawl under. And pumpkins don't have to be just for Halloween - they can make great obstacles to run around too!

Bobbing for Apples

A classic English game! You just need a suitable container and some apples. Float the apples in the water, and have the kids try to pick them up using only their mouths - no hands allowed!

Our Water Tables are perfect for apple bobbing - and make a great water play addition to your play area at any time of year! Check them out here.

And that's really all you need - some simple games that make the most of the natural beauty of autumn. We hope you enjoy your outdoor play times this autumn, and if you have any other ideas for great autumn games, we'd love to hear them.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

The Red Monkey Guide to Conkers

It's the season kids everywhere love - conker season! The game of conkers has been an English pastime for generations, and there're few things more natural than some healthy conker competition on the playground. To give your kids an edge this autumn, we've compiled a quick guide to the game so you know they're conkering the right way!

First you need a conker! From September through to November, your local Horse Chestnut trees will provide for you - you can find conkers lying beneath them in abundance. Extract the conker from its spiky green shell and you're ready to go.

You're looking for a conker that is roughly round and symmetrical. Make a hole through the centre and thread through a piece of string about 25cm in length. Now you're ready to play!

Players take turns striking at each other's conker, with the goal being to shatter your opponent's conker with yours.

Flip a coin to decide who strikes first. If you are the player whose conker is to be hit first, then let it
hang down from the string which should be wrapped around your hand. The striking player chooses the height at which your conker should be held.

The striking player should wrap the string around one hand, hold the conker in the other, then flick it towards the defending conker. If they hit, and the defending conker remains intact, then play turns over to the other player. If the striking player misses their opponent's conker, they are allowed up to two more attempts, then play turns over to the other player.

Conker pro tip! If the striking player hits their opponent's conker in such a way that the conker travels in a full circle on its string, then that player gets another strike. This trick is known as 'around the world.'

Advanced rules:

If the strings get tangled after a shot, the first player to shout 'strings' is awarded an extra shot.

If a conker falls to the ground at any time during play, then the opposing player can shout 'stamps' and jump on it! However, if the player who dropped the conked shouts 'no stamps' first then stamping becomes illegal, and that player can retrieve their conker in peace.

And that's all there is to it! Player continue to take turns until one player's conker is completely shattered. The victorious player can go on to challenge other players, and become the conker champion of the playground. Who knows; one day they could be competing in the World Conker Championship!

Conkers is a simple and fun game for children to play in the playground; it makes use of natural resources and can teach kids a little bit about nature at the same time. And for anyone worried about the health and safety risks of conkers, the Health & Safety Executive has some reassuring words for us.

So now you're equipped with all the conker knowledge you'll need; get conker hunter and see if you can't forage up a champion conker!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

A Red Monkey mask for Halloween!

As Halloween approaches the Red Monkey team are wracking their brains for costume ideas - I thought I'd go one better than buying a mask and decided to make one of my own. I'm quite pleased with it so I thought I'd share it around - if you're stuck for Halloween inspiration, why not try our Red Monkey mask?

Click here to download your very own Red Monkey mask. All you need to do is print it out, preferably on some stiff card, then cut around the dotted lines and eye holes. Then put some string or elastic through the holes near the ears, and your mask is complete!

Now I just need a way to make a tail! I'm sure you've got your own Halloween ideas, and we'd love to hear them. You can get in touch using any of the social media links on the right, so if you've got a great idea you'd like to share, let us know!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Pumpkin Ideas

Well October is upon us and the nights are drawing in, and that means one thing for the Red Monkey kids - it's nearly time for halloween!

This charming image was provided by our friends
over at Nurture Store.

Cathy James over at the BabyCentre blog has some wonderful ideas for helping your kids decorate their pumpkins this halloween - you should check some of these out! I don't think I've seen pumpkins quite as colourful as these before.

Always prepared for a creative challenge, I set about coming up with my own pumpkin design. You can see the result below.

Okay, so it isn't a real pumpkin, but it does give me something to aim for when the 31st rolls around!

The Red Monkey Team would love to see what you lovely people can come up with - so send us your pumpkin pics!

You can reach us on Facebook and Twitter, or right here in the comments.



Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Water Play Ideas

We've already talked about how you can liven up your sand play - now it's time to talk about water! Water is great for play time - everyone knows children love splashing about. But water play can also be a great learning aid. Clever use of water play can teach children loads of things about the world around them, and they'll have fun while they're learning too!

Here are a few tips for how you can add a splash of originality to your water play.

Colourful water

Not only does coloured water look great, it's a wonderful way for children to learn about how colours work. All you need is a little squeeze of food colouring, the kind available from any supermarket, and your water will be transformed!

Now try some simple colour matching exercises - ask the kids to place the yellow duckling in the yellow water, for example, or to fill the red beaker with red water.

It's also a great opportunity for children to learn about colour mixing - let them experiment with mixing different colours of water together and see what new colours they can think up. Hopefully they'll bring these new ideas into their next art class!

Sensory Water

Don't just stop with colour - why not add some scents and herbal infusions to your water play? A little bit of cake flavouring - again available at your local supermarket - can make water smell lovely. Mixing it up with colours can teach children to associate colours and smells - try some red strawberry flavoured water, or a green peppermint flavour.

Mixing some herb cuttings in with your water can introduce more unique scents, as well as teaching children a little bit about nature. Let them mix up their own scented infusions, identifying the scents of different types of herbs - herbal tea bags and tea leaves make some great additions, too. They'll be mixing up all sorts of interesting potions in no time, and learning all the way!

Water for storytelling

Loads of children's books feature water in some way - books like Sharing a Shell, The Rainbow Fish and Tiddler. Why not bring an extra dimension to story time by turning your water play area into a scene from their favourite book?

Coloured craft foam can be used to make all sorts of water-proof story props - let the children cut and craft their own scenes and characters. Laminated pages and printouts can be great for storytelling too. See what ideas you can come up with to transform your water tables; add sand or pebbles for a beach scene, or coloured rocks to make a coral reef.

Our Water Tables are a great way to introduce water play to your play area!

Whatever you choose to do, there are loads of ways to make water play a central play and learning experience. For great water play inspirations, why not check out Red Monkey's Sand & Water range - bringing a splash of fun to any play area!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Leicester Riders - A Great Family Night Out

Red Monkey are proud to sponsor Leicester Riders Basketball Club, and we're looking forward to starting the BBL Championship off in style! With ticket season starting this week, why not join us for a great weekend of sport?

The Riders will be playing the Sheffield Sharks on October 5th in Leicester, and the Red Monkey team are going to be there, cheering on our sponsored players Jorge Calvo and Anthony Downing- and the rest of the team, of course!

It's sure to be a great family event, so if you're looking for a great Saturday night out, why not come along, say hello, and watch the team shoot for success? Tickets are available online now, so now's the time to get booking. We look forward to seeing you there!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Sand Play Ideas

Sand play is a great learning experience, and great fun too - with clever use of sand, children can learn to mould, build and act out sand-based adventures. Sand can be both a toy and a teaching aid if you know how to use it.

We've put together a few tips to help you make the most of sand play with your children. The children will learn all sorts of things, and have a great time doing it too!

The sand kitchen

Sand makes a great 'ingredient' in any play kitchen - whether it's dry and powdery or wet and malleable like dough. Try introducing other 'food' elements to the sand kitchen - dry pasta is a good one, and herbs or cut grass make for a great vegetarian option.

Get some old pots and pans together, and the children will be cooking up sandy delights in no time! All good fun, and they'll be learning about mixing ingredients at the same time. Why not think up some sand-based recipes for them to cook, and see what they come up with?

Red Monkey's Kitchen Units are perfect for some sand-based cookery!

Colourful sand

Give your sand play a colourful new dimension by mixing in a few tablespoons of powder paint with your sand. The colourful sand is a delight for the children, and can be used to teach them about colours, too.

See if they can match coloured sand with coloured objects - for example, filling a red cup with red sand. Or have the children colour the sand themselves, and see if they can get the hang of mixing colours together to create new ones. Perfect for both sculptors and budding artists!

Sand islands

Sand can be used to create great play-scapes for acting out stories and role-play scenarios. Damp sand can be used to create all sorts of fantastic environments - flatten it down to build roads, dig tunnels and caves for creatures to lurk in, or build mountains for characters to roam over.

Try turning your sandbox into a scene from a favourite children's book, then drop in some toys and let the children act out the story. You could even print and laminate pictures of your children's favourite characters, and bring the story to life right there in the sandbox!

Whatever you choose to do with it, sand is one of the most versatile gateways to creative play. If you're looking to add some exciting sand play opportunities to your play area, why not check out some of our great sand play products?

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Case Study: Delves Infant & Nursery School

Our favourite part of any job comes after installation is complete, when teachers and children see their finished play area for the first time. Seeing the looks on their faces makes all the hard work worth it!

Red Monkey recently completed work on an ambitious Outdoor Play and Nature Garden project at Delves Infant and Nursery School in Walsall, and we couldn't be more pleased with the results! And seeing the look on Head Teacher Emma's face when she first saw the new play area, we know the children are going to be even happier than we are!

The brief

Our brief was to create two new outdoor areas at Delves Nursery School - an 'outdoor school area', which was to feature a dedicated outdoor learning area as well as challenging play equipment, and an 'eco zone', a natural garden area with scenic water features and outdoor shelter for learning and relaxation.

Project Manager Richard designed the new areas by combining play products from the Red Monkey catalogue with some bespoke designs created specifically for Delves - including rustic nature houses and a completely original water fountain.

The result was a comprehensive new outdoor area that's completely unique to Delves - you won't see anything quite like this anywhere else!

The reception

Project Manager Richard reveals the new play area to a delighted Emma.

Delves' Head Teacher Emma Ingram loves the new areas - here's what she had to say after we unveiled them:

"Outdoor learning is an important part of children’s physical, social and cognitive development. At Delves Infant & Nursery school we wanted an outdoor area which would inspire and excite our young minds and develop children’s confidence and inquisitive spirit. 

The team at Red Monkey completely identified with our vision, aspirations and ambitious plans. Their professionalism and commitment was consistently exceptional throughout, from the initial pulling together of ideas through to the bespoke design, manufacture and installation of our amazing ‘Eco Zone’ & ‘Forest Schools Area’. We now have an outdoor area that is both unique and extraordinary. We are thrilled!"

Emma Ingram, Delves Infant and Nursery School, Walsall

We certainly can't argue with that - thanks Emma! If you'd like to see how Red Monkey can bring a creative flare to your school or nursery, just give us a ring on 0116 281 3975 to book your free site visit today!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

The Importance of Play Blocks

Sometimes the old ways really are the best - it's been 100 years since wooden building blocks were first mass-produced as toys and learning tools for young children, and yet recent studies show that they are still one of the most effective ways for children to learn basic skills. Don't believe us? This BBC report highlights just how important play blocks can be in aiding learning development.

Generate, Concentrate & Communicate

Red Monkey Play Blocks come in a range of sizes and
shapes, to encourage imaginative play.

It's often modern technology that attracts children's attention these days - bright screens and colourful games - and there are some excellent digital teaching aids out there. However, experts believe that there's nothing to compare with the physical act of basic building for developing children's spatial and social awareness.

So how do play blocks help children's learning? Well, by building even basic structures, children start to understand things about the world around them. When gravity pulls their new tower down, they'll instinctively build it less top-heavy next time. When a bridge won't support any more blocks, they'll look for ways to reinforce it. These are things they'll pick up innately, just by by playing. The more they build, the more the learn about the basic physics of building.

Play blocks are also a great way for children to develop their social skills. After all, we can build bigger castles faster if we work together, right? As children start to appreciate the benefits of cooperation, they also begin to develop a greater sense of empathy for those around them.

Introducing Red Monkey Play Blocks

Play blocks may prove to be an invaluable tool for children's development; so how about getting your hands on your very own? Well, Red Monkey have you covered. We've just launched our new Play Blocks; chunky wooden blocks in a range of sizes, especially designed to inspire imaginative play in young children, and provided in a handy box.

Our new Play Blocks are available now!

A 25-piece box of Play Blocks costs only £19.90 including delivery; if you're interested in getting your hands on some, give us a call on 0116 2813 975, or alternative send us an email to sales@redmonkeyplay.co.uk and let us know you're interested!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Childcare Expo 2013

We are happy to announce that we're exhibiting at this year's Childcare Expo in Coventry on the 27th and 28th of September. The Childcare Expo is an inspiring and informative free event for all those working in the early years, childcare and nursery sector.

You can expect to see stands from loads of the UK's top nursery suppliers - including Red Monkey Play! We're going to be exhibiting some new products - it's the first time you'll be able to see our new Kitchen Units outside of the workshop, and we're also launching our new range of Play Blocks, designed to inspire creative play and improve spatial awareness. They'll be available to purchase from our stand, so be sure to drop by!

Our new Play Blocks are a fun and flexible teaching tool.

As well as our products, we'll have free gifts to give away and we're running a competition to win some great Red Monkey play equipment - so visit us and say hello, and who knows, we could be delivering a spark of imagination to your play area soon!

You can find this year's Childcare Expo at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, and you can find Red Monkey Play at Stand E13. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the Childcare Expo, why not visit the website?

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Teaching with Role Play

Inquisitive children will come
up with all sorts of stories.

Why role play?

We know that role play is an important part of a child growing up and developing. Creative play can teach children so many things about the world and about each other. These advantages are now acknowledged in the National Curriculum.

So it makes sense to include role play as a part of your children's learning and playing experience. But how can you incorporate role play into your teaching schedule?

Let children direct their learning.

Every teacher knows there's a fine line between fun and chaos when it comes to teaching with play - the trick to successful role-play is to control the teaching environment without getting in the way of children's ability to express themselves.

Children will play by themselves - give them any tools and they'll be away creating worlds and stories in their heads. This imaginative play is crucial to learning, and it's important to let children play out the fantasies they come up with.

Get involved.

Our Play Stage is the perfect space
for creative play.

But that's not to say you shouldn't get involved. Try suggesting ideas that complement their role playing - if they are playing house for example, are they playing in the countryside? In the city? How many people are in their imaginary family?

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to fire up their imaginations while still letting them control the direction of play. With questions like these, you can start introducing important themes - things like empathy, cooperation, and teamwork. Get them thinking, and then let them figure it out for themselves!

Why not become a part of their story yourself? Play along with them, dress up with them, let them direct you in their story. You'll find it much easier to direct their play when you're a part of it yourself, so don't be afraid to get involved!

A bit of help from Red Monkey Play.

Of course, having the right props makes imaginative play all the easier, and Red Monkey is here to help. We have a great range of role play products, from simple play blocks to get their minds working to huge pirate ship play units for a swashbuckling pirate adventure! Why not visit us online to see how we can help.

But when it comes down to it, role play is all about the children; their stories, their imaginations, their learning. Let them take control of their playtime, and you'll be surprised what they can learn outside of the classroom!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Role Play & Learning

The importance of role play.

Role play is an important part of growing up. It's how children learn to communicate, how they learn to relate to each other and the world around them. That's why it's so important, especially for Early Years and nursery-age children, to encourage healthy, imaginative play as much as possible.

Children learn important social
skills while they play.

The importance of role play is something that's now being acknowledged by UK teaching authorities; the three key pillars of the 2013 Early Years Foundation Stage framework are 'communication and language; physical; and personal, social and emotional development.'

Every one of these areas can be bolstered by including role play ideas in children's play time. And it's not hard to do! Given some simple tools, most children will naturally come up with their own imagined worlds, with their own rules and ideas to explore. All you have to do is provide them with the means to get creative!

Introducing our Early Years Kitchen Units.

At Red Monkey Play we recognise the importance of role play to children's learning and development. All of our Nursery and Early Years play products have been designed with children's imaginations in mind, and make great additions to a role play setting.

Our Kitchen Units make the perfect addition to any role play area.

These are the Kitchen Units, our latest Early Years role play products. Children love to play house - it's a way for them to learn to cooperate and empathise with one another, and just as importantly, it's plain old fun!

Our Kitchen Units are the perfect addition to an imaginary house set, providing three key features of the kitchen - a sink, an oven, and a washing machine. They're the perfect size for Early Years children, and are built from robust play-grade timber, so they can stand up to rough-and-tumble play sessions.

And in the true spirit of role play, our Kitchen Units don't have to be kitchen units at all - they can be the controls of a space ship, or machines in a laboratory, or treasure boxes at the bottom of the sea, or…or anything else you can imagine. I'm sure the children will be able to come up with better ideas than I ever could!

With role play, the only real limit is their imaginations!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.