What an incredible day we had at the ATU Sligo Science Festival on Sunday, 10th November! This was our second year showcasing child-led play experiences at the festival, and the room was buzzing with families and children of all ages. From 11:30 am onwards, there was a great energy in the room, yet a calmness, too, as children were deeply engaged in their play.
Some parents joined in, exploring and discovering alongside their little ones, while others took the chance to relax, chat with friends, and observe. Each approach is equally valuable, and we love seeing families connect in different ways through play.
Several families shared that our play-based learning room was their first stop, with children eager to dive into the experience even before exploring other shows and displays. It is always so encouraging to see how much children love these workshops, and we hope their enthusiasm helps show you just how meaningful child-led play is.
How Does Play Connect to Science?
Children are natural scientists! Their innate curiosity and eagerness to explore lay the foundations for scientific thinking. Through child-led play, children can observe, hypothesise, test, and make sense of the world—all critical steps in scientific discovery. Everyday play offers endless opportunities for science learning without needing complex setups. Research shows that early experiences shape children's attitudes towards science, often before the age of seven (Franklin. D, 2021). Positive, engaging encounters with science-related play help foster a lasting love of learning and discovery. For example, exploring the movement of balls and cars on ramps offers children a rich opportunity to engage with fundamental scientific principles in a hands-on and interactive way.
As they play, children collaborate, share ideas, and communicate their observations, strengthening their communication skills. This invitation to play introduces key concepts in physics, such as gravity, force, motion, and energy transfer, allowing children to observe these forces in action. Manipulating the ramps and objects helps children grasp cause-and-effect relationships, as they discover how different angles or forces affect movement. Repeated play encourages prediction, where children begin to hypothesize how factors like ramp angle or the type of ball will influence the outcome. Experimenting with various balls of different sizes, textures, and weights further enhances their understanding of material properties. Challenges, such as balls getting stuck or not rolling as expected, promote problem-solving, critical thinking, and resilience, as children learn to adapt and persist in their exploration.
Connecting Play to Curriculum Frameworks
Preschool -
In line with the Aistear themes of Well-being, Identity and Belonging, Communicating, Exploring, and Thinking, our hands-on play encouraged young children to explore early science concepts while developing social skills and problem-solving abilities. As children discovered, they also expressed themselves, formed connections, and worked through challenges in ways that were meaningful to them.
Primary School -
For primary school-aged children, our science-through-play approach touched on multiple curriculum areas and competencies. Children were “being creative” and “active learners” as they thought critically, experimented, and engaged in collaborative play. Through this approach, subjects like Maths, STEAM, language, and well-being were seamlessly integrated as children played, learned, and connected.
Thank you to all the past, present, and new families we met! With more family-friendly events and educational workshops coming up in 2025, we cannot wait to see you again.
If you are interested in booking Maia Purposeful Play for your event, festival, or a private class, please contact Shannan at info@maiapurposefulplay.ie.
Check out our reel from Sligo Science Festival 2024 on our social media pages!
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