After School, Let Their Imagination Kick In

September has arrived and suddenly we're back to knowing what day it is. School shoes are by the door, packed lunches are being made again and somebody has already misplaced a water bottle. But summer hasn't completely disappeared. The evenings are still light, the garden is still there and, on a good day, there's plenty of time to get outside after school before tea.

Not every afternoon needs an activity

After a day at school, children have already had plenty of instructions and structure. Sometimes it's nice to come home and decide for themselves what they're going to do, for them to take the initiative. They might head straight back to a build they made at the weekend. Yesterday it was something to climb on and today somebody has put a blanket over it and decided it's a den and five minutes later it's a shop. Nobody knows what happened to the den or how long the shop is going to stay for. That's usually how it goes with open-ended play, there doesn't need to be a finished idea before they begin. One thing leads to another and the game changes as they go.

Make the most of the lighter evenings

We all know the dark winter evenings are coming, so September is a lovely time to squeeze a little more out of the garden. It doesn't have to mean starting a huge new build after school as there might only be half an hour before tea. They could go back to something that's already there, add one part or simply carry on yesterday's game. Then at the weekend, when there's more time, perhaps the whole thing comes apart and a completely new idea begins. That's one of the things we love about Funphix. It can stay exactly as it is until somebody decides it needs to change and a new idea is incoming. All change!

Let them take it from here

We spend enough of the school week organising things, the list is endless; PE kits; clubs; homework; dinner; the form that apparently needed returning yesterday. Thankfully play doesn't always need organising too. Sometimes all children need is somewhere to start and their imagination grows from there. The summer holidays might be over, but there are still lighter evenings to enjoy and plenty of adventures left in the garden.

Explore Funphix and give their next idea somewhere to begin.