Imagine outdoor spaces transformed into a canvas for creativity, exploration, and discovery—this encapsulates the newly launched Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) primary programme at CIS. As the first international school in Singapore to introduce OPAL, our goal is to sustainably enhance the quality of play, creating environments to support the development of the whole child.

Overview of OPAL

Originating from the U.K., OPAL is a renowned school improvement programme that honours child-initiated free play. At CIS, we share this belief, recognising play as a powerful tool for children to explore their creativity, develop social skills, and tackle problem-solving challenges.

To bring this vision to life, programme lead Alison Jamieson and play lead Rachel Hedges collaborate closely with principals, teachers and IAs, ensuring our play areas are continuously built and equipped with new installations and diverse resources.

How does OPAL benefit your child?

Through OPAL, our students will:

• Explore and learn: OPAL encourages students to explore both the physical world and abstract concepts through hands-on activities. Whether they’re building structures, experimenting with natural materials, or role-playing real-life scenarios, students actively engage with their environment to better understand the world around them.

• Develop social skills: Learn empathy, communication, and teamwork through diverse play interactions. When children play together outdoors, they often encounter situations that require them to work together, resolve conflicts, and understand each other’s perspectives. These interactions help them build strong interpersonal skills that are essential both in and out of the classroom.

• Stay curious: Be open-minded and take on challenges to push boundaries and discover new things. By focusing on unstructured play, OPAL helps children develop independence and a lifelong love of learning.

• Implement change: Students have the opportunity to become Play Captains, serving as the voice of their peers. In this role, they help shape the play experience, support the development of play initiatives, and bring fresh ideas to enhance the OPAL programme.

What’s new with OPAL?

Here are some of the initiatives we have introduced:

• Creative play: We have set up a chalk wall, drawing area, and a variety of recycled loose parts to encourage play. Dressing-up fabric and clothing are also available for role play and dramatic play.

• Exploratory play: Our sand pit now includes a range of household objects, where students can experiment with digging, pouring, stacking, and observing.

• Social and locomotor play: We have board games, construction opportunities, tricycles, hula hoops, ball games, and more. Four squares and targets were also painted to facilitate play.

In the coming months, we will also be introducing den building, water play, and sensory areas.

As we continue to explore new horizons and push the boundaries of outdoor play with OPAL, we are excited to see the positive changes this programme will bring to CIS, making outdoor play a rich and meaningful part of your child’s day.