With more and more electric vehicles on our roads every day, be sure your school roadway represents this with our EV Charging Station Playground Marking. Add these markings on to your roadway parking bays so children can park up and learn about the sustainable alternative to fuel! Made from durable, anti-slip thermoplastic for a long-lasting finish.
Archives for January 2023
Roundabout Sign Playground Marking (Large)
If you’re looking to level up your playground roadway, use our Roundabout Sign Playground Marking (Large). At 1m, this roundabout will have children learning how to navigate the road in no time. Great for educational use as well as active play.
Best Playground Markings For EYFS & KS1 Literacy
Best Playground Markings For EYFS & KS1 Literacy: Outdoor Learning Activities
The best thermoplastic playground markings have sky-rocketed the ways primary schools can use playgrounds as outdoor learning spaces.
Robust, long-lasting and versatile, eco-friendly thermoplastic makes it possible for us to create exciting, bright, dynamic designs for schools which promote all aspects of play whilst supporting early literacy.
Thinking beyond free play, at Fun & Active we utilise thermoplastic playground markings to deliver imaginative, educational markings which can also be used for outdoor learning activities.
Promoting the development of everything from social skills to: better communication, imaginary play, good health, vocabulary extension, grapheme-phoneme correspondence, gross motor skills, letter formation and so much more, the best playground markings can also be utilised by TAs and teachers to support the teaching of phonics, reading and writing.
Here’s your complete guide to choosing the best playground markings for literacy learning in EYFS & KS1. Lasting up to 10 times longer than traditional line painting, thermoplastic designs are a superb investment you want to get right.
We’ve also included some top ideas for English outdoor learning you can use with our phonics, alphabet, letters, Makaton and Welsh designs.
Best Playground Markings For EYFS & KS1 Literacy
The best playground markings for early literacy should include the following:
1. Be Eco-Friendly, Safe & Long-Lasting
High-grade thermoplastic is a superior material perfect for the heavy use. Resistant to abrasions, changes in temperature, corrosion, uv-light, pressure and more, thermoplastic playground markings deliver unrivalled performance making them the best on the market.
100% Recyclable
Eco-friendly, non-toxic and anti-slip, thermoplastic is an extremely hardwearing and versatile material hailed as the raw material of the future.
Delivering a high ROI, the thermoplastic we use in our designs is free from lead and chemicals. Easy to mould into any shape once heated and 100% recyclable, thermoplastic retains its strength despite re-use.
Cuts Waste Plastic
Eliminating the global problem of waste plastic generated through traditional manufacturing and over-consumption, thermoplastic is sustainable economical and high-quality.
As a leading playground markings supplier, for us it’s this combination of performance and flexibility which makes thermoplastic markings the best choice for UK playgrounds.
Thermoplastic gives us the freedom to create safe, imaginative, eco-friendly designs in any colour combination we want. All three are elements we consider vital for every product we create. Browse playground markings
2. Promote Creativity & Imaginative Play
At Fun Play, creativity is at the heart of all we do. We know children learn best when they’re having fun and stimulated by contexts which build on their interests. From aquariums to zoos, trains, space and minibeasts, our designs incorporate everyday experiences children aged 4-7 can relate to.
The best playground markings promote imaginative play for both independent play and structured outdoor learning activities.
Best-selling designs such as our Under The Sea, Space and Safari playground markings can support role play, creative activities, sessions involving props and objects, imaginary games and free play.
The use of real-life contexts for literacy learning enhances meaning whilst making activities fun, inclusive and purposeful.
3. Inclusive
We believe every child has the right to access quality play experiences. Linking real-life, age-appropriate contexts and English learning together ensures the best playground markings are inclusive.
Indeed, taking learning outdoors is a great way to foster inclusive learning.
Away from the classroom setting in the outdoors children feel more relaxed. Often, despite all we do, children who have to participate in phonics, handwriting and English interventions can find it challenging and at times de-motivating.
Supports all learning styles
The option to take children outside and use the playground surface as a learning tool can transform these feelings. In an external space away from the classroom, children are free to engage with learning in a different way.
Promotes Multi-Sensory Learning
Appealing to every type of learning style, high-quality playground markings are multi-sensory experiences. Children can move, feel, touch, listen, speak and see a clear visual representation of what they are playing or learning about.
The opportunity to run around, jump, stand, project their voice, interact with others and socialise – for some children these are learning styles they feel much more comfortable with.
With highly resistant, super-tough thermoplastic markings in place, children are free to engage in fun, exciting activities without staff worrying the children will damage the markings.
4. Foster Personal and Social Skills
Addressing all of the 16 types of play, top quality playground markings enable children to develop personal, emotional and social skills in addition to cognitive learning.
All of our designs support independent play but when you have the best playground markings in place, staff have a powerful opportunity to model and teach children a greater range of ways to engage with each space.
Personal, social and emotional skills are areas of the curriculum we have much less time for these days. Yet when teaching learning through play, teachers and TAs can unlock vital lessons for children about how else they can engage with surface designs and play together.
At KS1 and EYFS we know play education is essential. Opening up more positive play experiences to children can address everything from challenges with interacting with peers to low self esteem, turn-taking, problem-solving and underdeveloped communication skills.
When you have literacy markings in place, staff can deliver cross-curricular activities which blend objectives for phonics, PSE and other areas of the curriculum.
5. Inspire Physical Movement
The versatility of thermoplastic means thermoplastic playground markings can incorporate and retain a wide range of bright colours. Adding instant appeal to our designs, thermoplastic markings enable us to produce attractive, exciting playground markings which inspire children to move and interact.
Schools often involve children in the design process, and we love hearing their ideas. We want to children to be active and making optimal use of our designs!
When children are out in the fresh air, they should feel motivated to use as many of those gross motor skills as possible. For some children opportunities to get vital vitamin D and enough daily exercise are few.
Building co-ordination, body confidence, endurance and stamina through good cardiovascular activity is one of our biggest goals – a vision any top playground marking company should facilitate.
Browse top playground markings for early literacy
6. Support a Range of Play
As discussed at the beginning of the article, well-designed playground markings enable children to engage with designs in a wide variety of ways through both independent and guided play.
Here are some top ideas for English outdoor learning at EYFS and KS1 using our literacy playground markings:
Top outdoor learning activities for EYFS & KS1 English:
Small Group Phoneme Match: Divide the children into two groups. You or a child call out a phoneme for each group and the children run to the matching grapheme on the elephant playground marking. Children call back the grapheme they have run to. Repeat twice.
Now the children work independently. Children run around, when you call sharks they have to run and stand on a phoneme. You throw a beanbag to each and they have to say the phoneme they are on. You can mix it up with children throwing the beanbag to each other.
Next put the children back into two groups. You hold up a picture to each group and children run to the corresponding grapheme. Finish by writing together on whiteboards, five words the children have shared with you today. Children should sound out each word together as they write.
Creative Group Writing: Role play excitement about going to the zoo and discuss going to the zoo. Use imaginary play to travel to the zoo marking.
Physically go into the zoo marking. Play I Spy with the phonemes on the animals, helping each other to come up with what you could see at the zoo which involves the phoneme. List words as you say them.
Together begin a shared piece of writing using the context of travelling to the zoo and your current class writing genre. Children continue independently making sure to correctly spell those words you listed earlier.
Phonics: Children take it in turns to jump across the train to spell a word given by the teacher. The child says each phoneme as they jump. The rest of group repeat the phoneme and write it down on a whiteboard or in sand trays. Children have to guess the word the child is jumping out.
And that’s just a few ideas! There are endless ways for children and staff to use our markings to support phonics, letter formation, reading, language development and more. Browse playground markings for EYFS and KS1 literacy.
Remember we can supply bespoke designs so you can commission exactly what you have in mind.