Author: Betty Yau
Principal, Fairchild Nursery and Kindergarten
With the late autumn weather proving to be more windy and rainy than we expect at this time of year, it’s time to share some indoor activities our family has enjoyed when my child was much younger. Aside from playgroups which can promote free play for infants and toddlers as well as provide socialization for both children and adults, we are fortunate in Hong Kong to have a lot of choice in terms of cost effective things to do indoors as a family.
The government provides a range of activity rooms in different districts around Hong Kong. These are usually located in or around government buildings, so access to clean toilet facilities is also convenient. These play rooms are free, well padded and have child friendly play equipment for young children to practice climbing and physical skills. This space helps support children’s physical development, allowing them safe, spacious areas in which to crawl, walk and run, so they can develop their gross motor skills in comfortable air-conditioned rooms.
A particular favorite place to visit with young children is the Pamela Peck Discovery space located in Tin Wan. This wonderfully engaging space is part of the teaching and learning lab for the Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education. It is specially designed for children aged 0 – 8 years of age, and provides lovely role play areas including an MTR train, a boat, a theater stage, a supermarket area, and a light and shadow room, outdoor play area, was well as many other interesting spaces with their team will change several times a year to provoke children’s free play and development. Allowing children the space, and time in these open ended play spaces will allow them the opportunity to be creative and immersed in self selected play, enabling the children choice in how they engage with the resources on offer. This is a key aspect of empowering children to be themselves, allowing them autonomy to make their own choices. There is also a nice library and reading area there too.
Talking of books, the local public libraries are also great places to while away a few hours. Children’s libraries are well resourced with a range of both English and Chinese books. They also have reading rooms for adults, with comfortable seating, and a lot of space to move around. Children will become readers when they see adults role model reading too. Allow children to select books to borrow for themselves, they may borrow the same books again and again as they return to particular favourite stories. Public libraries now allow us to borrow up to 8 books for two weeks at a time, make visits to your local library part of your child’s regular routine, and encourage the habit of reading together. Getting lost in a good story allows us to use our imagination and consider infinite possibilities. Hong Kong Central Library also has a Toy Library, a sustainable way to access a wider range of themed toys and books.
Museums in Hong Kong also provide a cost effective and engaging place to visit. The Science museum in particular offers very engaging activities for young children, with interactive displays which allow children to explore freely discover and test theories for themselves. The ‘World of Mirrors’ is wonderfully exciting for very young children as they see their images change in numerous different ways. This early introduction to the concept of change is not only fun, but builds on children’s thinking skills too! The Children’s Gallery provides unlimited potential for children to observe, imagine, and explore as they learn. Have fun exploring the best our local museums have – they offer many engaging and creative opportunities!
