Small World Play

There are many facets to learning as infants grow up, one area which you should encourage play is 'small world play'. This involves children playing with miniature items representing our world, for example, farm and safari animals, toy cars, boats and helicopters, and little people.

There is no shortage of 'small world' figures and props available from toy retailers, and it doesn't matter that the figures might not really go together or are different scales. For example, it's OK for a dinosaur to live on a farm, or for a lorry to be smaller than a person. What is important is that children can immerse themselves in their own world, that they can act out situations that they may have experienced or are simply imagined, and that they can arrange their world as they see fit.

Small world play provides a great opportunity for children to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Small world play gives children the opportunity to create situations and resolve problems. As a parent or childcare provider, such immersive play offers a rewarding experience simply to stand back and observe how the child is playing.