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Teachers plan activities. Parents and school leaders ask:
👉 “What did the child actually learn?”
In early childhood education, this question matters.
Because if we cannot clearly explain the learning behind play, play becomes underestimated. At Kindiedays, we believe play should never need defending — it should be understood.
Let's look at one easy-to-do experiential activity
The Theme: Under the Sea – Level 2
The Activity: Sink or Float – Helping the Penguin Travel
Children are introduced to a small penguin who needs help crossing the sea.
On the table:
🚰 A water tray
♻️ Recycled materials
🐧 A toy penguin
Children are invited to:
1️⃣ Predict which materials will float or sink.
2️⃣ Test them in water.
3️⃣ Build a small floating structure.
4️⃣ Improve their design if it sinks.
There is no worksheet. There is no memorisation. There is investigation, collaboration, problem-solving, and redesign. It looks simple. But what is really happening?
What Are Children Really Learning?
✅ Rich World of Language
→ Can use descriptive language to explain float and sink.
✅ Diverse Forms of Expression
→ Can create a functional craft (boat) using different materials.
✅ Me and Our Community
→ Can demonstrate empathy toward sea creatures.
✅ Exploring and Interacting with My Environment
→ Can predict, test, and evaluate floating and sinking.
✅ I Grow, Move, and Develop
→ Can practise persistence when a design fails and try again.
Five clear developmental outcomes. From one playful investigation. Intentional. Structured. Purposeful.
Play Is Visible Learning: Outcomes Are Often Hidden
Our role as educators is to make learning visible.
When we unpack activities this way:
● Parents understand the value of play
● School leaders see pedagogical depth
● Teachers feel confident in their planning
● Children benefit from intentional design
At Kindiedays, we don’t design isolated activities. We design experiences where outcomes are embedded, integrated, and developmentally intentional.
Because in early childhood education, the question is never:
“What activity did we do?”
The real question is:
👉 What capacities did we build?
And when pedagogy is intentional, the answer is: many.
Explore the Full Picture: Lesson Plan Levels ... Outcomes…
Explore Kindiedays full thematic lesson plans and see how outcomes are embedded into each activity.
👉 Explore Kindiedays Lesson Plans
And if you would like to see the complete Level 2 developmental outcomes across all themes, you can explore them here:
👉 View All Level 2 Outcomes by Theme
Strong pedagogy is not about doing more activities. It is about intentionally designing the right ones.
What next?
👉 Learn how Kindiedays can support you with a complete Curriculum Partnership.
I look forward to meeting you.
Milla van der Burgh
👉 Click here to schedule a consultative call on Zoom or contact me on WhatsApp!
PS Join our official WhatsApp group 👉 click here to join the group!