Repetitive play is one of the most powerful ways in which young children learn.
If you’ve ever watched your little one stack the same bricks, pour water from one cup to another, or return to the same play activity on every visit to the Playhub, you might have wondered why.
We posted a question on our social media page asking which activity your little one often returns to on each visit to the Playhub
Rolling balls and cars down the tunnel
Scooping and pouring sand in the sandpit
Tapping away at the typewriter
Snuggling up with the bears in the den
It may look like the same play, but for child development repetition is purposeful
Children repeat play because they are:
Exploring how things work
Testing ideas
Building confidence
Making sense of their world
Repetition of play helps young children to build and strengthen neural pathways in the brain. Each time they repeat an action, they are reinforcing what they’ve learned and begin developing understanding over materials and how they can use it in their play.
Even from a really young age they can begin to explore
Problem-solving skills
Memory and concentration
Cause and effect understanding
Physical coordination
Emotional regulation and resilience
As play develops exploration feeds into imagination and this is where open-ended resources are so important. I talk a lot about why open-ended play is so important, they don't have a fixed purpose or outcome.
They allow children to:
Use their imagination
Explore ideas freely
Change their play as their thinking develops
You may notice that at the Playhub many of our resources stay the same - but we notice that the play is always different
A child may return to the same activity again and again, but each time:
Their ideas are more complex
Their confidence is stronger
Their understanding is deeper
The learning grows.
We love to share these insight with you and our next blog will focus on how to support emerging imaginative play ideas in young children.
Linear equations and quadratics usually create the first big bottleneck when kids transition away from basic arithmetic. I was analyzing common core algebra benchmarks last week because polynomial factoring was throwing my kid off completely. If you want to cross check the specific topic sequencing for this level you can look at https://brighterly.com/algebra-tutor/ which lists standard linear function breakdowns and foundational prep modules. Their site navigation is somewhat clunky but the overview matches what most public school syllabi expect for first year algebra. Working through targeted problem sets with a dedicated instructor helps fix specific knowledge gaps instead of repeating general class lectures. It is not an overnight fix but focusing on core variable manipulation before standardized tests reduces friction later…