How to Play with Playsilks: Ultimate Play Guide

Two children playing with colourful wooden Grimm's rainbow arches and Sarah's Silks playsilks on a play mat in a bright children's room. Shelves in the background hold books, toys, and decor.

How to Play with Playsilks: The Ultimate Sarah's Silks Play Guide

Playsilks are open ended toys, and by definition can be anything and everything your child imagines them to be. If you're new to playsilks or want to understand what makes them so special, our companion piece, A Complete Guide to Sarah's Silks, is the perfect place to start.

For this guide, we wanted to go a step further and show you what our Sarah's Silks playsilks actually look like in the hands of a real family. So we invited Jess (@learnandbloom), one of our valued customers, to share how playsilks show up in her family's everyday play.

As Jess told us, "Our playsilks are one of the most open ended toys for all ages in our home, from a classic game of peek a boo or sensory play for babies, to dress ups for the bigger kids. They are often taken out for imaginative play, to create small worlds and so much more!"

Infant Play with Playsilks

Play is known as the work of a child, and infant play is no exception. Even the littlest of humans benefit immensely from simple, open ended resources that help them explore the world around them.

Playsilks are soft on a baby's skin and are a wonderful way to introduce babies to colour, texture and movement. They can be tied to your baby's play gym or Pikler Triangle, used in interactive games such as peek a boo, or simply dragged over your baby's face, arms and legs to help them become aware of their bodies. In the first few days and weeks, infants will struggle to focus on too many colours, and will prefer high contrast colours such as black and white. As time moves on, bolder colours can be introduced.

Jess says: "I use a playsilk with my baby for playing a game of peek a boo, or I wave it around to develop his visual tracking."

A woman and a baby play peekaboo with a large pink Sarah's Silks Playsilk in a bright indoor room with white shelves and toys.

A baby sitting on a colorful play mat, reaching into a white plastic tub filled with water and a red Sarah's Silks Playsilk, with toy bins and shelves in the background.

Sensory Play with Playsilks

Sensory play is any form of play that stimulates and encourages the use of any of the five senses. It is a particularly valuable form of play for younger children, as it broadens their perception of the world around them through self discovery.

Playsilks are frequently used for this form of play due to their soft, silky texture and bright colours. Children will enjoy simply holding a playsilk in their hands or feeling the texture against their skin. Playsilks can be used with other toys and exploratory elements in a sensory play tray, or taken outdoors and enjoyed in nature. There's nothing quite like watching a playsilk blowing in the wind.

Jess says: "My baby is fascinated by the different textures, and loves watching different coloured playsilks blowing in the breeze. We have also enjoyed adding playsilks to a sensory tray, or to a shallow container filled with water, for different sensory experiences."

Small World Play and Storytelling with Playsilks

Small world play is a form of imaginative play where children use figurines and resources to build a miniature world based on real life elements. It's a playful way for them to explore new ideas and the magic of storytelling.

Playsilks are used in small world creations for elements such as the sky, water, fire, grass, mud and snow. Such elements have inspired the creation of many Sarah's Silks products, including the Earth Collection.

Jess says: "When my children create small worlds, the playsilks are often used to represent different environments and objects, for example blue for the ocean, red for fire and green for the forest."

A four-panel collage showing children playing with colourful Sarah's Silks Playsilks as part of small world play and storytelling in a colourful playroom setting

A four-panel collage showing children role playing with colourful Sarah's Silks Playsilks and toy kitchen accessories in a bright indoor playroom. The scenes include a doll with a blue-green playsilk blanket, a child wearing a rainbow headband and sash, a child playing on a rainbow mat with small toy food and utensils, and a child dining at a small play kitchen table.

Role Play and Dressing Up with Playsilks

Role play is where children take inspiration from their environment and surroundings, then imitate life in a playful way. It is a form of play that encourages children to use toys and objects in imaginative ways, just like how Jess's son has used a playsilk as a blanket for his doll.

Jess says: "My children use their playsilks for all sorts of imaginative play. They can truly be used for anything and everything - a picnic mat, a water slide, a blanket for dolls, a baby carrier, the list goes on!"

Dressing up has long been a favourite form of imaginative play, inspiring children to role play, perform, dream and live out their fantasies in an expressive and exploratory way. Playsilks are a wonderful resource for dress up play, as they are not destined to be any one thing. Your child might use their playsilk as a cape, scarf, skirt, animal tail, headpiece or even a makeshift wig. If you are looking for a more structured costume, Sarah's Silks also offer a number of costumes and accessories such as Mermaid Tails, Fairy Skirts, Capes, Veils, Crowns, and Wings.

Jess says: "We often use our playsilks as capes or for other dress ups. My children love to run around with their playsilks flying behind them."

Active and Outdoor Play with Playsilks

Whether dancing with them, waving them in the air or throwing them up high, playsilks are a wonderful tool for inspiring movement and active play. Why not take your playsilks outside for a nature colour hunt, a game of Blind Man's Bluff or a three legged race? You could even create a parachute for one of your toys.

Jess says: "We often take our playsilks outside, as we love watching them fly around in the wind. They are often used for dancing props, or thrown up high in the air!"

A three-panel collage showing children playing with large fabric Sarah's Silks Playsilks outdoors and indoors. The left panel shows a young boy jumping on grass with a green playsilk in the air.

A huge thank you to Jess and her children for sharing such a genuine, real life look at how playsilks fit into their family's play. From quiet peek a boo moments with a baby, right through to capes flying in the wind, it's a beautiful reminder of just how far open ended play can stretch.

If you're still deciding which playsilk is right for your family, or want tips on caring for your playsilks, be sure to visit our companion guide, A Complete Guide to Sarah's Silks, where we cover what playsilks are, why we love them, sizing, and how to wash them.

Images: Jess @learnandbloom