soft play

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableBritish

   An indoor play area for young children with padded climbing frames, slides and ball pits where they cannot easily get hurt.

   Grammar: Often used without an article: we went to soft play on Saturday.

   Patterns

   • go to soft play
   • a soft play centre

   We took the twins to soft play when it rained all weekend.

   The new soft play has a ball pool and three slides.

   Soft play is a good way for toddlers to burn off energy.

2. 2noununcountableBritish

   The padded foam shapes and equipment used in such play areas.

   Grammar: Treated as a mass noun: the nursery bought new soft play.

   Patterns

   • soft play equipment

   The nursery ordered new soft play for the baby room.

   The school hall had soft play for the youngest children.

   Soft play blocks are light enough for toddlers to lift.

Common combinations

soft play centre

There is a soft play centre near the library.

soft play area

The cafe has a small soft play area in the corner.

soft play session

Her son has a soft play session every Friday morning.

birthday party at soft play

They held her birthday party at soft play.

soft play equipment

The charity donated soft play equipment to the clinic.

Synonyms and how they differ

indoor playground

Indoor playground is the more general and American-friendly term, while soft play stresses the padded surfaces.

play centre

Play centre can include any kind of play space, not necessarily padded.

ball pit

A ball pit is just one feature, while soft play is the whole area.

Word family

soft adjective

not hard or firm

play noun

activity for fun

playground noun

an outdoor play area

play area noun

a space set aside for play

Commonly confused: soft play or soft ball?

Practice

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