Beautiful play experiences at NUBO

Hooray for the indoor playcentre! This rain, hail or shine entertainment option is brilliant for your young child’s learning and development, and while they’re busy playing, socialising and skill-building, you get a chance to bond with your little one, meet other parents and have some fun yourself.

There are playcentres all around the country offering family-friendly facilities and activities, and one that really catches the eye, and imagination, is NUBO.

This mum-created, super modern Sydney playcentre has the wow factor when it comes to look and feel, and to learn more about the NUBO way, we spoke with Centre Manager, Manoela Vasconcelos.

How did NUBO come about, and what’s your philosophy around play?

Our founder, Mollie Li, had become a mum and realised there was a gap in the market for great indoor play spaces that also offered a high focus on learning through play.

NUBO was set up to provide just that – with our values centered on connection, the power of community, and optimal open-ended play opportunities for little ones in a purposefully designed environment.

In a nutshell – NUBO inspires families with simple, purposeful and beautiful learning experiences.

What play experiences and areas are always popular with the babies, children and parents who visit NUBO?

We have so many different spaces to suit the most energetic, and the more placid children! 

Our hot air balloon reading nook is definitely a big favourite for those wishing for a quiet moment.

Our café is always buzzing with parents sipping a much-needed coffee and children having their second (or third) breakfast of the day! 

Our workshops cover all age ranges, so whether you’re a crawler in a sensory workshop or a four-year-old creating your own Matisse masterpiece, we have scheduled activities to cover everyone.

All our families also love our selection of slides (and dads seem to love our giant tube slide the best!).

Creative workshops are a fun and engaging way for under fives to express themselves and learn new skills.  What kinds of NUBO workshops are popular with families?

We find that art workshops are the most popular – and for very good reason. Anything creative, where children have full control over the process and end creation, plays to all aspects of their development on such high levels.

There’s particular benefit for their fine motor skills in cutting, pasting and pencil-gripping.

Children have many opportunities to tune their gross motor skills every day, using their big muscles to run, jump and skip, but there’s not as much daily opportunity for fine motor work (using the small muscles of their hands, fingers and wrists), so an art workshop is a great way to cover this.

The sense of achievement each child portrays when they finish making something is so wonderful to witness – parents and staff always love to see that proud smile!  

Sometimes bad weather or COVID-related restrictions makes it tricky to leave the house to play.

What are five classic activities you recommend for families stuck at home?

1. Cooking
   This is a great way to get young children to try new foods, and it can pass a lot of time if you need to keep them distracted! There’s creativity and early numeracy involved, and many great memories are built when recipes are shared and handed down through the generations. NUBO To-Go provides some home cooking ideas if you’re looking for inspiration.

2. Art

Anything arty is great as you can use so many mediums and materials to cover a variety of things – from hand painting to gluing buttons to potato stamps to simple colouring-in!

3. Roleplay

Kids love pretending, and some great ideas include being a shop-keeper, fire-fighter, teacher or vet. You can make a shop out of a cardboard box, or use animal toys as patients, and even very simple props open up a world of imagination.

4. Cubby houses

These are a real hit and if you add books, snacks, pillows and a torch, your child will be in there all day! If you don’t have a readymade cubby, teepee or play tent, you can always make a cubby out of sheets draped over chairs or the dining room table. 

5. Toy de-cluttering

This may seem more like a chore than a fun activity, but getting kids involved in a spring clean is great. You can talk about giving things to other less fortunate children, and encourage them to learn empathy whilst finding old favourite toys that may have been forgotten at the bottom of the cupboard!

What do you love most about your job, Manoela?

My colleagues and I just love our families! It is such a privilege to be a part of their lives at this very special stage of life, and all the moments that come along with it.

What’s next for NUBO? 

The pandemic has created a lot of upheaval, so we are just doing our best to give families any special moments of connection and freedom whilst they can grab them! 

We would love to extend our brand into curated play kits that can be sent out to families for fun times at home and on the go, so watch this space!