Why is it children choose to play with the cardboard box rather than the expensive toy that came in it? Children have little concept of value; they are driven by their imaginations. They find wonder in the simplest things, so a cardboard box can be anything they want it to be. With a bit of imagination, the possibilities are immense.
The EYFS describes babies and infants as 'naturally creative and flexible in their play'. They have the skills and ability to make objects within their grasp into something that they can examine and investigate.
Babies may find pleasure in crawling in and out of a box, peeping through holes or the feeling of hiding inside. They explore using their bodies and their senses. Play moves forward from exploration and experimentation as children become more creative and imaginative thinkers.
As children develop the use of language, Hughes (2006) refers to their main focus of play as predominantly beginning to understand the function of objects, leading to them thinking imaginatively - for example, 'what can this become?' Children pretend that one object stands for another. A box no longer simply serves as a box, but now has the possibilities of becoming a train, car or boat.
Box play provides children with rich opportunities to stimulate imagination and creativity. As they become absorbed in play, children create, discover and work through their ideas using materials in new ways.
Throughout their play babies and children will be building on skills and attributes such as concentration, perseverance and problem-solving as they gain confidence in their abilities.
ADULT ROLE
- Give children time to engage in imaginative play.
- Provide resources such as fabric, pegs, tape, string, crayons and paint to extend children's box play.
- Value children's efforts and their individual ways of representing ideas.
- Offer support and challenge, building on and extending children's learning and development
- Ask open-ended questions such as 'Can you tell me about what you've made?'
IN PRACTICE
Box play has proved to be extremely popular in nurseries. Babies investigate by going inside the box, often just watching the world from a different perspective. Many toddlers climb in and sit down as the box becomes a form of transport. They can be heard making 'brum brum' noises as their imagination steers their play. Older children will love to add voiles and turn the box into a hideaway den.
- Claire Stevenson is Birth to Three Adviser for Northamptonshire County Council
REFERENCES
- Abbott & Langston, (2005) Birth to Three Matters: Supporting the framework of effective practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press
- Hughes, A (2006) Developing play for the under-threes. London: David Fulton Publishers
LINKS TO THE EYFS
- LD 4.1 Play and Exploration
- LD 4.3 Creativity and Critical Thinking
