About Ako Playrooms
Educationally designed play spaces make the perfect playrooms!
Our "Learning through Play" Approach
Imagine your child entering a world where their every curiosity is met with endless possibilities, independence is fostered and their learning is integrated through their play. This is the power of a well-designed playroom, as it provides a space for children to explore, experiment and interact with their environment, leading their own learning, through their play.
We use these Categories of Play to help organise toys, play spaces and equipment to ensure a well balanced playroom.
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Motor Skills Play promotes the movement children need for every day tasks e.g. feeding themselves, moving around, balancing etc.
Gross motor skills: These are movements that involve large muscle groups. Active Play on the climbing wall, cargo net, swing, dramatic play etc. all help to develop balance, coordination, reaction time, and physical strength.
Fine motor skills: These smaller movements require more precision, manual dexterity and developing hand-eye-coordination. Art and craft play, small world play, role play all develop the use of these fine motor skills
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Art and Sensory Play are crucial for childhood development. Art involves creativity, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Sensory play explores touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound to learn and develop cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. Combining both allows children to explore, experiment, and create, promoting overall well-being and encourages the development of language and fine motor skills. This type of play develops nerve connections in the brain, while promoting creativity, exploration and problem solving.
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Small World Play is a type of imaginative play that involves creating scenarios using small figurines and other objects. Kids can construct their own miniature worlds and structures, developing their engineering skills and spatial awareness. It offers children rich learning experiences that can enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through small world play, children can develop their problem-solving skills, creativity, empathy, and language and communication skills
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Constructive play entails activities that encourage children to build or create something, such as building with blocks, magnetic tiles, or legos. Constructive play is crucial for developing problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination. Children develop their fine motor skills as they manipulate the materials, as well as their problem-solving skills as they figure out how to fit the pieces together.
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Creative play encompasses a variety of activities that encourage children to explore and express their creativity, such as imaginative play, dramatic play, and musical play. This type of play enables children to use their imagination to create new ideas, stories, and art forms. Creative play is crucial for developing creativity, language skills, emotional intelligence, and artistic expression.
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Skills Based Play (including books, puzzles and games) involves children practising specific skills, such as counting or letter recognition, through play. Examples include playing educational games or doing puzzles that focus on developing specific skills. Skills-based play is important for children's cognitive development and academic success, developing self-control, decision making and problem solving skills.
Designers, with a difference
At Ako Playrooms we are educational experts, who truly value play and learning and how they interlink in an effective Play Environment. We design kid’s playrooms, bedrooms and family spaces that are built on best educational practices and developmental psychology.
Transformational Design
We transform ‘almost there’ play spaces into engaging, interactive and holistic play environments. Playrooms that will spark your child’s imagination, motivate their curiosity, foster their active play and maybe even bring out that inner child in you!
Our Name
The name Ako comes from te ao Māori, meaning to learn and to teach. Ako Playrooms take this philosophy to heart, especially when it comes to designing play spaces. We team up with both our little and big clients to create the ultimate play experience. Mahi tahi!