Revolutionizing Learning Through Play
Yay4Play aims to ignite a lifelong love for learning in young minds through the power of play. By providing accessible and innovative educational resources, we empower educators, caregivers, and parents to nurture the holistic growth of children.
This approach fosters their physical, social, emotional skills as part of their cognitive development.
Our vision is a world where playful learning is at the heart of every child's educational journey!
Understanding the Six Bricks Methodology
What Are Six Bricks?
The Six Bricks Methodology is an educational approach that emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning. Children use the bricks as an amazing resource to problem-solve and explore concepts such as shapes, colours, numbers, and patterns through play.
Six Bricks activities support various aspects of child development, including cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. In other words - all the major skills for school success.
The Fundamentals of Six Bricks
Six Bricks is a simple yet powerful teaching tool: it uses six LEGO® DUPLO® type bricks in bright colours. The sets of bricks include the following brick colours - yellow bricks, green bricks, light and dark blue, red and orange.
These bricks utilize the power of play to facilitate fun, short, and playful game activities - in fact there are hundreds of activities!
The versatility of these bricks allows for thousands of ways to engage children. They are inexpensive, durable, and easily recognizable.
Key Elements of the Six Bricks Approach
Hands-On Learning
Our methodology emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning. Children are encouraged to use the bricks to explore and understand various concepts such as shapes, colours, numbers, and patterns through play.
This in turn also builds perceptual skills, visual memory skills as well as physical skills in terms of gross and fine motor movement.
Open-Ended Play / Structured Play
Six Bricks activities are designed to be open-ended in the sense that they use their imagination and creativity to come up with their own solutions and ideas.
There are no prescribed "correct" ways to use the bricks, fostering innovation and independent thinking.
As part of the pedagogical approach, there are also instructions so that children for example form brick sequences or do an activity in pairs to acquire positional language.
Multi-Sensory Learning
The Six Bricks methodology incorporates various senses, including touch, sight, and sound, to enhance the learning experience.
This multi-sensory approach helps children engage more deeply with the material. There aren't simply maths concepts that are explained in an abstract way: children get hands on with the packs of bricks to fully grasp the application of the theory.
Social Interaction
Activities can be done individually or in groups, promoting social interaction and collaboration among children.
This aspect helps in developing social skills and teamwork. As part of their core learning skills, these game activities and physical tools are a way to develop language functions and cooperation in the class.
Curriculum Integration
Six Bricks activities can be seamlessly integrated into the early childhood education curriculum, supporting various aspects of child development.
This integration ensures that the methodology complements existing educational frameworks.
Professional Development and Training
Training Educators
We offer professional development for educators through online and webinar-based courses.
Our training programs are NESA accredited and we provide ongoing support so that this concrete tool is used effectively for optimal results.
We offer specialized courses such as Mathematics and Coding with Six Bricks to Level 2 and Six Bricks for Autistic children.
Suitable for Various Educators
Our training is suitable for:
- Early childhood educators
- Primary teachers
- Special education teachers
- Preschool educators
- Speech and occupational therapists.
Global Reach
Six Bricks is now being used worldwide in:
- Primary schools
- Early learning centres
- Childcare centres
- Preschools
- Disability services
- At home care
- After school care
- Home schooling.
Quick Activities and Resources
Our online portal provides you with short videos demonstrating quick activities to get started with Six Bricks.
These activities make it easy to incorporate all the brick colours into play and into daily routines.
Six Bricks becomes more than a pile of loose bricks - it's a way of introducing core skills - children have so much fun that they don't realise that they are in fact gaining literacy skills, visual memory skills, positional language - and the list goes on!
Six Bricks Courses Through Yay4Play
Online, self paced modules
Our courses and videos show you clearly how you can introduce the method into your own groups in a straightforward way. We give you the theory and background + the practical skills to demonstrate how your groups will improve their core skills, such as visual memory skills, perceptual skills and so on.
You will become so confident, you will be doing game development with these bright brick colours on your own!
Coding and Maths with Six Bricks
Coding is becoming an essential skill, and introducing computational thinking in early education promotes overall academic success.
We also cover how you can introduce maths concepts such as the concept of subtraction in a tangible way.
Six Bricks for Autistic Children
The concrete-pictorial-abstract approach is ideal for autistic children to engage them and to boost their confidence. They also improve their language learning as these loose bricks take on more meaning for them.
The Power of Play: A Step-by-Step Approach
Explore
Join us on an engaging journey where you'll explore learning through play. Our self-paced online course introduces various activities using manipulatives to make learning enjoyable and interactive.
Develop
Through play, children develop essential skills such as teamwork, creativity, clear communication, and problem-solving - all while having fun with activities with sets of Six Bricks.
Visual
Six Bricks enables active participation among children and helps educators visually assess their understanding of the content, making it a powerful teaching tool. Watch how their eyes light up with they grab some of the yellow bricks and listen to your instructions as to what to do with them.
Versatile
Whether you're an early childhood educator or work in another educational setting, this course provides practical insights and knowledge for effectively incorporating play-based learning.
You are also able to introduce other items such as the clothes peg or ribbons to add to the brick colours and bring new and innovative play into the room.
Connect
Join a collaborative community of educators to share insights, exchange ideas, and discover best practices together. Build a network of like-minded professionals dedicated to enhancing education through the magic of Six Bricks
Expanding on Six Bricks: Comprehensive Development
Emotional Skills Development
Emotional skills are critical for a child's overall development. Recognizing, expressing, and regulating emotions are foundational for self-awareness and healthy relationships. Six Bricks activities can be tailored to help children develop these essential emotional skills through interactive and engaging play.
Enhancing Social Skills
Social interaction is a core component of Six Bricks activities. By engaging in group play, children learn to collaborate, share, and communicate effectively. These activities foster empathy and understanding, crucial elements in building healthy social skills.
Building Critical Skills
Critical thinking and problem-solving are at the heart of Six Bricks methodology. Children are encouraged to think critically, analyse situations, and come up with creative solutions. These skills are vital for academic success and real-world problem-solving.
The activities are done individually or as an activity in pairs or with the larger group. Language learning also takes place as a natural part of the process.
Supporting Sensory and Motor Skills
The tactile nature of Six Bricks helps develop sensory and motor skills. Children manipulate the bricks, enhancing their physical skills such as fine motor skills, perceptual skills and hand-eye coordination. The use of bright colours and varied textures also stimulates sensory development.
Developing Spatial Skills
Spatial reasoning is an essential skill developed through Six Bricks activities. Children learn to understand and manipulate shapes and spaces, which is fundamental for mathematics and everyday problem-solving.
Integrating Six Bricks in the School Day
Daily Activities and Routines
Integrating Six Bricks into daily activities and school routines can transform the learning environment. Short, engaging activities using bricks can be a perfect resource for transition times, breaks, or as part of structured lessons.
Curriculum Alignment
Six Bricks activities align with early childhood education curricula, making it easy for educators to incorporate them into their lesson plans. The activities can be tailored to meet specific learning objectives and developmental milestones.
Global Impact: South Africa and Beyond
Six Bricks has made a significant impact worldwide, including in South Africa. The methodology's success in diverse educational settings demonstrates its versatility and effectiveness in promoting playful learning and holistic development.
Why Choose Yay4Play
Quality and Affordability
At www.yay4play.com, we offer high-quality sets of bricks at affordable prices. Our bricks are durable, versatile, and perfect for various educational activities. Whether you need individual bricks, packs of bricks, or specialized sets, we have you covered.
Comprehensive Support
We provide comprehensive support for educators and parents. Our resources include detailed guides, activity suggestions, and ongoing training to ensure you get the most out of your bricks resource.
Community and Collaboration
Join our community of educators and parents dedicated to enhancing education through play. Participate in our forums, attend our workshops, and share your experiences and insights with like-minded individuals.
By embracing the Six Bricks methodology, we create a dynamic and engaging learning environment that fosters the holistic development of children. Through play, we ignite a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime.
For more information about our courses click here.
Brick Activities
Our brick activities are designed to be engaging, educational, and fun. These activities help children develop a range of skills, including critical thinking, sensory skills, and motor skills.
Emotional Skills
Six Bricks activities support the development of emotional skills by encouraging children to recognize, express, and regulate their emotions through interactive play.
School Day Integration
Integrating Six Bricks into the school day enhances the learning experience. The activities can be seamlessly incorporated into daily routines, making learning more engaging and effective.
South Africa's Success Story
Six Bricks has been successfully implemented in South Africa, showcasing its versatility and effectiveness in diverse educational settings.
Playful Learning
Our approach to playful learning ensures that children are engaged and motivated. By making learning fun, we help children develop a lifelong love for education.
Bright Colours
The use of bright colours in Six Bricks activities stimulates sensory development and keeps children engaged. Each yellow brick, blue brick, and orange brick plays a crucial role in the learning process.
Sets of Bricks
We offer a variety of sets of bricks to meet different educational needs. From individual bricks to complete packs, our resources are designed to be versatile and effective.
Social Skills
Six Bricks activities promote social skills by encouraging collaboration and interaction among children. These activities help build healthy relationships and effective communication skills.
Critical Skills
Our methodology focuses on developing critical skills that are essential for academic success and real-world problem-solving.
Sensory Skills
The tactile nature of Six Bricks activities helps develop sensory skills, enhancing children's ability to process and respond to sensory information.
Motor Skills
Manipulating the bricks improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, essential for tasks such as writing and drawing.
Spatial Skills
Six Bricks activities develop spatial reasoning, helping children understand and manipulate shapes and spaces.
Playful Activities
Our playful activities are designed to be engaging and educational. These activities foster all aspects of child development including numeracy and literacy skills, core learning skills and in fact any part of the early learning centre or primary school curriculum.
I continue to be amazed at how one set of physical tools can generate hundreds of activities!
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