Something that I’ve been reflecting on deeply over the last two weeks is how we support children to develop tolerance, creative problem solvingand their capacity for empathetic, kind,and effective conversations.Inevitably, children come up against disagreements, frustrations, and tricky moments with others within play at times. The important question, in my mind, is how do we navigate these moments? How do we use them as opportunities to understand ourselves and others better? What questions can we model and scaffold to help children to better understand one another’s perspectives, feelings, and experiences? What I’ve noticed when having these conversations, is just how capable children are of coming to a shared understanding and finding their own ways to resolve problems to allow their play to continue with more harmony.    
 
Opportunities for creative problem solving through play – listening, sharing ideas, finding and testing out solutions. Collaborative play that enables children to have positive, solutions-focused experiences builds capacity for more complex situations.

Clay is a very grounding material to use. Children have the chance to slow down, engage all their senses whilst using their hands to manipulate, mould, shape and sculpt. Sometimes it’s just about this process of using their hands to squeeze, roll, kneed and feel the material before moving on, and sometimes they immerse themselves in the creation of something from their thoughts. Both are equally valid and important, a moment to connect and ground within their minds and bodies.

These rich experiences highlight what makes our After School Care so valuable. It’s a time for children to unwind from the school day, explore their interests, and engage deeply in creative and social learning. Through materials, conversations and collaborations they strengthen emotional regulation, problem solving and confidence. It’s a reminder that play is the true work of the child, as said by Rudolf Steiner: “If a child has been able in his play to give up his whole living being to the world around him, he will be able to, in the serious tasks of later life, to devote himself with confidence to the service of the world”.

Meredith Mallin After School Care Coordinator and Playgroup Coordinator

Meredith is a trained and practised Early Childhood Teacher with a special interest in Art Education. Meredith has been supporting the children in the school already through teaching relief work and relief in ASC in 2024.