A Funsquare kids play couch can be anything - a rocket to the moon, a tent in a mysterious forest, a high-powered vehicle or just a cosy place to curl up and read a book. It’s a big part of why parents and children alike are falling head over heels for this open-ended piece of play equipment.
“We are Funsquare obsessed. Since our couch arrived it has become the most used item in our household! My son adores climbing all over it. We use it as a car ramp, couch, cubby house (our favourite) and the options are endless! The colours are bright and vibrant and the material is so nice to touch.”
But one of the best things about the Funsquare play couch is the amount of developmental and educational benefits offered to kids through a fun experience that’ll have them entertained for hours on end.
So if you’re looking to make learning fun in your home, here’s a list of educational activities you can enjoy with our best-selling play couch!
The benefits of combining learning and play
First off, let’s cover the background to why it's important to make learning fun. And this isn’t just in the home! Many childcare services and schools have found that combining learning with play is one of the most beneficial and effective ways to help kids grow and learn.
“Play-based learning” as it’s often called, takes place when we create an environment in which play is a natural means of exploring and discovering - encouraging children to explore, experiment and engage in open-ended play. And there’s a wide variety of benefits for little ones:
- Language development
- Cognitive development
- Social development
- Emotional development
- Physical development
- Creativity
- Positive attitude toward learning
It may seem hard to believe, but by combining learning and play you’re not just getting more engaged little ones, you’re also able to guide them through a wide variety of developmental experiences that’ll make a real difference in the long run.
Play Couch Educational Activities!
We’ve developed this guide on how to make learning fun by setting up your play couch for the best educational activities. Considering all the many benefits available through open-ended play and learning, we’ve broken each activity down into exactly what they can learn from it!
1 - Language-based puppet show
Play-based activities can help children learn new words and practise their language skills, building connections between written and oral modes of expression, while also learning the meaning and structure of new words.
To help kids enhance their language development with a Funsquare play couch, we recommend setting your play couch up as a puppet show extraordinaire. They can play with storytelling scenarios, which gives children the opportunity to act out their imagination, learn new words and improve their communication - all while having a great time!
2 - Cognitively beneficial builds
Play couches allow children to explore and learn about the world around them, enabling them to develop problem-solving skills, critical skills and even creativity as they explore and play.
Building blocks are often recommended to help children explore their cognitive abilities, where they can build towers and experiment with different shapes and sizes as they figure out how to put them together. It also teaches them other concepts such as gravity and balance.
But the Funsquare play couch is like a bigger, better version of building blocks! By letting your kids play freely with the different combinations the play couch can create (hint: there’s limitless possibilities!) they’re able to enjoy all the benefits of this building activity, in an even funner and more hands-on experience.
The best part: by putting building on a bigger scale, kids are also able to play without limitations. That’s why we’ve specifically designed our play couches to be soft and gentle on little ones - they won’t crush your kids, which means they can go big, without the risk. Giving all the more opportunity for educational experiences.
Just look at one of the many amazing builds we’ve seen:
3 - Group building for social development
This one ties in pretty well with point 2, but it’s important to teach your kids how to take turns, share toys, cooperate with others and resolve conflicts. So, one of the best activities you can do with a play couch is to give them a shared build experience.
Whether it’s with you and them, their siblings, or inviting friends over for a “play couch party” it’s a great way for them to enjoy all the cognitive benefits, while also maxing out on social development.
These skills are essential as they approach kindergarten and beyond!
4 - Pretend grocery play for emotional development
Pretend play is a great way for kids to role-play and will help them explore their own feelings (as well as those of others) as they play. It helps them experience different emotions, figure out what makes them happy or sad, and learn how to manage various feelings as they arise. That’s the whole point of emotional development.
And one of the best activities you can do with a Funsquare play couch is build your own grocery store! Or a cafe. Or a bookstore. Or whatever role allows them to pretend to be a customer, cashier or store owner. It’ll also boost their confidence with handling money and transactions and be a super fun activity they’ll love!
Just look at how effective this Funsquare bakery turned out, alongside one of our additional Fun Scenes. (Hint: the Fun Scenes are ideal for pretend play!)
5 - Indoor obstacle course for physical development
When it comes to facilitating an educational activity that aids physical development, there’s nothing better than a Funsquare play couch turned indoor obstacle course!
It’s one of our most popular builds and is a great way for kids to learn to balance, jump, fall, and get back up again to start it all over. They’ll be able to work on their fine and gross motor skills - and you’ll also enjoy how tuckered out they are once it’s all over!
When it comes to creativity and building a positive attitude toward learning? Any activity with our play couches works a treat for developing these skills. Play-based learning when paired with a play couch allows children to come up with new ideas, explore them in a variety of ways, enjoy their learning environment, and it can even boost retention of new information and memory.
And that’s all with one Funsquare kids play couch!
When it comes to making learning fun, there’s no better solution than a Funsquare play couch. They’re great for kids to grow and develop a number of beneficial skills, enabling enjoyable play-based learning that won’t just tire them out for bed - but encourage them to fall in love with learning.
These are just some of the many educational activities possible with a play couch. Join our Facebook group to see how more Aussie parents are aiding development or explore our full range to see the limitless possibilities available today.
And if you’re interested in sharing your own educational activities that worked perfectly alongside your play couch? Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @funsquare_aus!
“I cannot recommend this couch highly enough. It is honestly the best play couch out there. It is made from very high quality products that are firm and durable. My husband (110kg) can sit on the foam and it barely compressed. It is also very easy to spot clean which is fantastic for daily use. I am very excited to order more pieces for my girls to use. We received the play couch very quickly in around 2-3 days. I could not fault anything from purchase to date, we love our play couch!”
