The educators covered a tuff tray with aluminium foil and set out a selection of brightly coloured paints with cotton buds for the children to explore. It didn’t take long before the children came over to the tuff tray setup and began experimenting in their own ways. The educators added some different shaped sponges into the tray and straight away they began comparing the prints they could make. Some dabbed carefully while others stamped with big movements, watching the colours mix together across the foil.

The planned activity ended up taking an unexpected turn as the children began painting their hands and arms instead of the foil. Within minutes there were children using the sponges to gently paint their cheeks, noses and arms, laughing as they looked at one another. The artwork had moved beyond the tray and become a full sensory experience.

Rather than rushing to redirect them, the Joey educators paused and watched where their curiosity was taking them. The children were completely engaged, talking with each other, sharing the paint, swapping tools and reacting to the different sensations of the cool paint and soft sponges against their skin. There were smiles everywhere and plenty of “Look at me!” moments as they proudly showed off their colourful creations.

Although the original invitation was to paint on the foil, the children reminded us that open-ended experiences don’t always stay within the boundaries we imagine. Their willingness to explore with confidence, make their own choices and involve their peers turned a simple painting activity into a joyful, collaborative sensory experience that everyone wanted to be part of.

This experience was a reminder that some of the best learning happens when we let go of the original plan and follow the children’s lead and ideas instead. What started as a collaborative painting activity, quickly became sensory exploration with the children using the paint and tools in ways we hadn’t anticipated.

It was lovely to see how comfortable the children felt experimenting without worrying about getting messy. There was no hesitation, just genuine curiosity. They watched what their peers were doing, borrowed each other’s ideas and built on them, which naturally encouraged communication, confidence and cooperative play. The excitement around the tray was contagious and every child found their own way to be involved.

The connections between children’s sensory,

physical and motor systems are evident in the

early purposeful activities of very young children

who coordinate physical, sensory and cognitive

actions to explore and learn about their world(EYLF, Learning Outcome 3- Children have a strong sense of identity)