Small World Play

Big imaginations often start with very small worlds. Small world play gives children the pieces to create miniature places of their own, filling them with animals, characters, vehicles, buildings, landscapes and whatever else their story needs.

A few figures might become the beginning of a farm, jungle or prehistoric world. Add blocks for buildings, magnetic tiles for enclosures, play cloths for oceans and landscapes, or loose parts for pathways, food and treasure, and suddenly completely different toys are working together to create one much bigger adventure.

As children build their worlds and decide what happens within them, they’re developing storytelling, language and communication skills while practising problem-solving, planning and creative thinking. Moving and arranging all those little pieces can also strengthen fine motor skills and spatial awareness, while open-ended elements give children the freedom to change the story, rebuild the environment and play differently every time.

There’s no right way to create a small world. Give them the pieces and let their imagination fill in the rest.