It's a small world

Now that I have you singing, humming, or reminiscing of your last Disney trip I will say this is post has nothing to do with that annoyingly catchy song! This is about PLAY! When Sean was about 17  months old I began to read play-based blogs for some SIMPLE and CHEAP ways to encourage creativity, fun, and language. I am by no means super mom and my kids spend most of their time engaging in free play and “normal” childhood things like playing out back, trains, blocks, and reading, but I did want some new ideas for  extra activities that we could do together. Sensory play is hugely popular and became a weekly play staple, but I also wanted something that would tie in some of Sean’s growing interests like animals, construction, and trains. Small worlds fit the bill!

 

What is a small world activity? It is simply taking small items (like miniature animals, people, plants, cars, etc.) and using them to act out ideas from real life or stories.

 

Why use small worlds for play? One thing that I noticed while teaching is that many of my students love fiction stories and shows, but really didn’t spend a lot of time enjoying nonfiction books which help build upon real life and science and build those files in our knowledge file cabinet aka brain. Using small worlds help make connections about real topics like farms, zoos, wildlife, construction, etc. While children play in small worlds they have the opportunity to engage in language that uses meaningful context.

How do you make a small world? Again I have 2 kids and a crazy life so I do not have time to create elaborate boxes every day, nor do I choose to invest tons of money. The great thing about small worlds is you can make them as simple or elaborate as you like and base them on your child’s interest. I use a huge plastic under bed storage box for most sensory and small world play. First choose a topic and think about important elements for it like background, people/animals, and play items. Next choose filler for the base. Examples: dried corn or oatmeal for farms, colored water for ocean, colored rice for grass, and dry black beans or coffee beans for dirt. Then find the play elements. Keep it simple for younger children 3-4 for 2 year olds, 5-6 for 3 year olds, etc. The dollar store and craft stores are great places to find cheap miniature play items, or you can raid your child’s toy box.

Now what? The first time you introduce small worlds you’ll have to model how to use the items to interact. For example if you have a construction site have the workers build with blocks and trucks can bull doze or dig. While you play together it’s important to talk about what you’re doing as you interact within the small world. I love small worlds for play dates because they are great activities for sharing, turn taking, and can be played in or outside.

I have included 2 of the small worlds Sean has done recently. The first is an ocean theme. I filled the container with water and a few drops of food coloring and a pan of our cloud dough from Valentine’s sensory bowl. Sean has a book called Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea that he loves so we read the book prior to playing and then I gave him a basket of shells and sea creatures he got from the aquarium and let him dig in. Olivia was also able to participate in this small world as well.

 

 

The second is a construction site small world. Sean is highly intrigued by all truck and construction sites we see as we drive around town, and he often picks library books out with this topic. This box was inspired by his library book called The Construction Alphabet Book. This box has play sand, wooden blocks, cereal, magnetic letters, trucks, trees, shovels, and bowls.

 

I have fallen in love with small worlds as a way to help Sean explore his interests and engage him in some science and social studies topics in a fun way. Scavenge through your kid’s toys and whip up a small world of your own…It’s a small world after all!