Today, the Butterflies enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of role play, as they became hosts, guests and tea-party companions while exploring our beautiful China tea set.

The children were presented with a tray filled with delicate teacups, saucers, teapots, water, teabags and sugar, creating lots of opportunities for imaginative and meaningful play. Before we began, we had a group discussion about how we could keep ourselves and the china set safe. The children confidently recalled that the items were delicate and needed to be handled gently and carefully. Once the tea party began, the Butterflies became very busy! They carefully picked up the teapots and used both hands to pour the water into the tiny cups. Some children experimented with how much water they could pour, while others carefully watched the cup to make sure it did not overflow. They then added their teabags and used spoons to stir in their pretend ‘sugar’, developing their hand-eye coordination, control and precision. The children became deeply involved in their imaginative play, pretending to serve tea to their friends and engaging in conversations about what they were drinking. We heard lots of wonderful language as they offered one another cups of tea, asked their friends what they would like and talked about whether they wanted ‘more sugar’ or ‘another cup’. The children showcased loots of sharing, taking turns and cooperating with one another. They showed great awareness of their friends, waiting patiently for the teapot and offering cups and saucers to others. The tea party provided a wonderful opportunity for the Butterflies to combine imagination, creativity and real-life experiences.