Jargon buster - Free-flow play

20 January 2009 1 min read Early Years

Where might you hear it? Increasingly in early years settings

What does it mean? When children decide how and with what to amuse themselves, it is described as open-ended or free-flow play. Professor Tina Bruce, an early years specialist, outlined 12 features of free-flow play in Time to Play (1991). These include the fact that in play, children test recent learning and make sense of relationships. Bruce suggested children engaged in free-flow play are more open to exploring their ideas and feelings without fear of doing something wrong, since there is no "correct" method or outcome. They will also naturally make up rules as they play in order to keep control and will often be content to play alone.

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