Wonder of balloons – Playgroup
Balloons are exciting and fun. Children sharing the excitement of balloon play with other children and adults at playgroup tend to talk more. They often call out to others, give directions and give a commentary of what is happening. They can be encouraged to talk about colours and positions.
Did you know?
Balloon play gets children of all ages playing together. It can be their first taste of a team game. It gets them moving and is a fun way to develop eye-hand coordination.
Other development
An understanding of cause and effect is developed as children observe what happens e.g. When I kick – the balloon moves, or when it lands on the sharp bush it pops! Developing an understanding of cause and effect is an important foundation skill for lots of other learning.
Resilience (the ability to recover from setbacks and keep going even when things go wrong) is encouraged as children cope with surprises (the loud noise of a balloon popping) in a safe, fun environment!
Variations
Using balloons for different purposes encourages children’s creativity and experimentation. For example, balloons can be used for craft and painting. Children of all ages will enjoy the messy fun that comes with painting using lightly blown up balloons. Decorating and individualising a balloon with coloured markers is another idea. You can put a little bit of glitter in a balloon before you blow it up. Then blow it up and tie it off. Paint glue onto large pieces of paper and pop the balloon over the paper and create great glitter explosion pictures.
Safety
Balloons should only be used under adult supervision. Be careful young children do not put balloon pieces in their mouth as they are a choking risk. Make sure that all the pieces are collected when balloons burst.
Across the Ages
All the activities listed on our “Play Ideas” page can be applied across different age groups. See how the wonder of balloons can be fun for babies, toddlers, and children.
Activities listed under “playgoups” are suitable for children of various ages. They provide opportunities for early learning and social play.