15 genuinely open-ended invitations
Across mark-making, dough, paint, colour, loose parts, construction, light, nature, movement, storytelling, sensory exploration and more.
FREE GUIDE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
One station.
Fifteen ways
to begin.
15 open-ended activities for curious little minds, and the educators who make room for them.
Practical setups, educator prompts, extension ideas and possible EYLF and NQS connections. Download More Than a Mat and find your next invitation to play.
Choose an invitation. Follow the children. See what happens.
More possibility. Less prescribed play.
Open it Monday.
Use it Tuesday.
You do not need another list of finished crafts or Pinterest-perfect outcomes.
You need ideas that are practical enough to set up, flexible enough to follow the children and thoughtful enough to support your professional practice.
This guide gives you a clear place to begin without deciding where the experience has to end.
A peek inside the guide
Ready for your room.
Room for their ideas.
Set-up made simple
What to gather, how to introduce the experience and what to consider before children begin.
Practical risk-check prompts
Useful reminders to consider your materials, space, supervision, allergies, choking risks, sensory needs, spills and your service’s own policies before each experience.
Questions that keep the thinking with the child
Prompts that encourage noticing, predicting, explaining and imagining without steering everyone towards the same result.
Extensions that keep the play open
Ways to deepen an emerging interest, add another material or revisit an idea without turning it into a prescribed outcome.
EYLF and NQS pathways, with the why
Possible connections are explained in context so you can see what makes each pathway relevant to the learning, participation and educator practice in that invitation.
Three of the fifteen
A little inspiration inside
A line. A possibility.
The Squiggle That Could Be Anything
Begin with one wandering line. Let children decide whether it becomes a road, a creature, a boundary, a movement or something without a name.
Press. Build. Transform.
Dough Worlds
Offer dough and a handful of open-ended pieces. Children might build, press, transform, tell stories, repeat a movement or create an entire world.
What happens if...?
The Colour Kitchen
Invite children to mix, layer, compare and name colour in their own way, with no required picture waiting at the end.
“They’re not just fun, they create SO many opportunities for meaningful learning and intentional teaching.”
Eden Academy Oak Park
One little station. So many beginnings.
Meet Little Learning Stations
Room for their ideas.
Support for yours.
From a shared squiggle to a dough world or a colour experiment, these invitations give you a place to begin. Each activity includes what to gather, questions to ask and ways to extend an emerging interest. You bring your knowledge of the children. They bring the possibilities.
Made for your everyday practice
For the people who
make room for wonder.
- Educators and teachers
Looking for ready-to-run inspiration that protects child agency.
- Room and educational leaders
Supporting intentional, responsive practice across a team.
- Directors and decision-makers
Wanting to see how one resource can work across interests, experiences and rooms.
A few things you might be wondering
Good questions.
Is the guide only about drawing?
No. Mark-making is one possibility. The guide also explores dough, paint, colour, loose parts, construction, nature, light, movement, sensory experiences, small-world play, storytelling and collaboration.
Do I need a Little Learning Station to use the guide?
The guide is designed to show what is possible with a Little Learning Station, but the open-ended principles and educator prompts can also inspire your wider practice.
Does the guide replace our service’s risk assessment?
No. The prompts are practical reminders only. Educators must still follow their service’s policies, supervision expectations, approved materials and risk-assessment process.
What happens after I download it?
We will email the guide immediately, followed by a short series of practical ideas and information relevant to the role selected in the form. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Draft note: delivery will be enabled when the Omnisend form and emails are connected.
Their next big idea could start small
Fifteen invitations.
Plenty of room for the
children to surprise you.
Download the free guide and find the invitation that fits your room right now.