As an outdoor pediatric occupational therapist, I champion play as the gold standard for early development. It’s the cornerstone of childhood, shaping how children learn about themselves, their bodies, and the world around them. When play is self-directed, children can stretch their mental and physical muscles in ways that naturally support their internal drives, development, and learning.
Although early years practitioners and therapists often emphasize the importance of play, research shows that everyday practice doesn’t always align with that belief. In many settings, play becomes a tool for adult-selected goals—building specific skills, assessing abilities, or acting as a “reward”—rather than being honored as a meaningful right on its own (Morgenthaler et al., 2024). Current research encourages a shift toward supporting child-led, intrinsically motivated play, where children’s interests guide their actions and the play itself holds value, not just the outcomes adults hope to achieve (Morgenthaler et al., 2024).
One way to move in this direction is by intentionally designing motivating environments that offer a variety of materials, loose parts, movement opportunities, and rich sensory play. This aligns with a broader movement in the therapeutic field–focusing less on “fixing” children and more on shaping environments that naturally spark interest, invite participation and expand engagement.
This is exactly what I hoped to support when I introduced Imagination Playground’s Mixed Blue Block Set Plus, Sensory Blocks, and Dino Bones set to my outdoor Mud Kitchen Kids enrichment program this summer.
When I set out the blocks, I intentionally stepped back so I wouldn’t be tempted to insert myself or direct the play. As Peter Gray, author of “Free to Learn” reminds us, “The moment the adult in the room proclaims, ‘I have a game we’re going to play today,’ it no longer becomes child’s play.” So I stepped back to let the children lead–make up their own games, invent their own rules, build their own worlds, and create freely.
Watching the children interact with Imagination Playground’s blue blocks reaffirmed my belief in the power of affordances—the offerings in the environment and the possibilities for action they invite. When we widen the spectrum of opportunities available, we increase the chances that children of all abilities and needs will find the experiences their bodies and brains are seeking.
And that’s exactly what unfolded in front of me. I watched children who rarely collaborated suddenly become teamates—negotiating plans, taking turns, testing ideas, and celebrating each other’s efforts. There was problem solving, conflict resolution, and lots of “Wait, I have an idea!” moments. The blocks created a natural reason to communicate and connect, and the children stepped into these opportunities with enthusiasm.
I watched as children naturally engaged in full-body movement: carrying, stacking, kicking, pushing, karate chopping, and even stepping into the large pieces transforming into human robots. These interactions supported balance, postural control, bilateral coordination, and motor planning—all without any adult prompting.
Children also began pulling in loose parts from other areas of our outdoor space–large boxes, long fabric swaths, and foil blankets. Kings’ and queens’ thrones were stacked, built, and proudly sat upon. Six long tubes were placed in a base and balanced across children’s backs as they transformed into imaginative insect creatures racing around “eating” their friends in playful pretend.
Sturdy block pieces evolved into car washes where children crawled on all fours for extended periods–strengthening their upper bodies, activating their core, and naturally integrating their sensory systems. The deep proprioceptive input they received along the way also supported body awareness, emotional regulation and focus. This type of play is powerfully organizing for developing nervous systems.
Throughout the semester, block play didn’t just repeat, it expanded. Children revisited earlier creations and stretched ideas further, adding new sensory experiences, materials, more complex motor actions, and richer pretend-play sequences.
In the end, this semester of blue-block play showed just how well these materials fit the heart of our enrichment program. These sets supported inclusive play by offering choices that honored a wide range of interests, without relying on talking, explaining, or adult-crafted plans. Children don’t need elaborate instruction. They need to feel safe and supported, and they need space, time, materials that invite action, and the freedom to follow their own internal drives. When we create environments that feel secure and rich in possibility—and then step back—children step forward with curiosity, competence, and connection. Their bodies do the work, their imaginations do the guiding, and their development unfolds exactly as it’s meant to—through play that truly belongs to them.
Daniele Fallon, MS, OT/L
Boise Outdoor OT & Mud Kitchen Kids
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Thomas Morgenthaler, Helen Lynch, Janet Loebach, Duncan Pentland, Christina Schulze; Using the Theory of Affordances to Understand Environment–Play Transactions: Environmental Taxonomy of Outdoor Play Space Features—A Scoping Review. Am J Occup Ther July/August 2024, Vol. 78(4), 7804185120. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050606
Daniele is an outdoor pediatric occupational therapist, mom of two, and founder of Mud Kitchen Kids enrichment programs. She helps children build strong sensory–motor foundations through nature, sensory-rich play, and child-led exploration. Her work empowers parents, educators, and therapists to create enhanced outdoor learning spaces where kids can grow, connect, and thrive.
