"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice-Cream!"

A group of children at Daisykins Day Nursery often enjoy making ice-creams for their friends in the room's role-play area. When playing in the outdoor area, some of the children chose to play in one of the brick role-play houses. Their imagination transformed 'The Garden Dais Centre', the current theme of the house, into a scrumptious ice-cream shop. The child began by taking on the role of the shop keeper, calling to their friends; "Does anyone want an ice-cream?"

After observing the children for a while, allowing them to direct their own learning, one of the practitioner's extended their play by putting ice-cream cones, crazy soap foam and edible decorations in a tuff tray. The children soon rushed over to the tuff tray, keen to see what had been set out.

The children took turns in taking on the role of the ice-cream shop keeper, the assistant and the customer. The ice-cream shop keeper stood behind the window pane, serving their friends that were queued in front of them. The assistant listened to the shop keeper's requests, going to the tuff tray to make the desired flavour of ice-cream, returning and passing it to them to hand over to the customer. The customers lined up, patiently waiting their turn.

What a fantastic idea! This activity provided the children with the opportunity to practice their fine motor skills, social development and communication and language skills.