Small World. Big Impact.

This week we are talking about the benefit of small world play, and some simple ideas you can integrate into your classroom.

Small worlds are areas for imaginative, child-led play, which give children the opportunity to create and act out scenarios. the miniature environments can be realistic like farms or playing at the beach, or they can be fantastical like alien planets and dinosaur volcanos.

Benefits:
- Develop vocabulary and narrative skills
- Enhance creativity with open ended resources
- Process emotions through play scenarios
- Opportunity to play with peers
- Broaden knowledge about the world
- Opportunity for language modelling

But what about pupils with additional needs?
Small world play is still incredibly valuable, if anything more so!

We can mix sensory play with small worlds. Take the example of the rice in the alien planet above. The children can choose to play with the 'sensory item' and they can engage with the other items. We can also use food to ensure the children stay safe if they like to put things in their mouths.

Small worlds are also the perfect opportunity for language modelling. By using sign language, verbal language and visuals we can talk about the actions the children are taking and describe the items they are playing with.

"A big silver rocket."

"Are you ready for take off? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Blast off!"

The adults working with the child can follow their actions, for example, the child is running their fingers across the rainbow. The adult could sing the rainbow song, or comment their favourite colour.

Where possible, we want to pair our small world area with visuals. This could be a digital AAC device, a printed aided language board, or individual visual cards. At the least, we want to provide core words.

Let's talk materials!

We promised to talk about creating small worlds for free, or as cheaply as possible, so lets get into it. There are so many worlds you can create using only the materials you already have in your classroom or with a quick trip to the supermarket.
Tissue paper - a no-mess, simple base layer. Think grass, water, snow, even lava!

Sand and soil - grab a bucket and get some resources from the playground. They can be used for exactly what they are. Or add water to make sandcastles and mud pies. Whilst you're outside pick up some sticks and stones.

Pasta and rice - mix dry pasta or rice with white vinegar and food colouring to dye the materials. Leave them out in a single layer to dry.

Paint - paint the tray. Don't want to leave a mess in your classroom? Tuff trays are a perfect base for water based paints. And it can be anything. Brown for mud, blue for water, green for grass.

Jelly (and other food) - a fantastic way to include a sensory experience that is taste safe. Plain yoghurt and food colouring, mashed fruits and vegetables, whipped chickpea water, crushed crackers... the list goes on!

Tin foil - the best way to represent metal. Build something with cardboard and cover it in tin foil to make it look metallic.

Snow - not exactly a material, but here's some options of what could be used to represent snow. Cotton wool or soft toy stuffing is a great clean and dry option. Sugar cubes are my go-to for building igloos, and loose sugar also works as snow. For a slightly messier option, mix 2 cups of bicarbonate of soda with 1/2 a cup of white hair conditioner.

We hope that you've found today's blog helpful. We hope to continue providing information in this format, so if there is a topic you want us to talk about make sure to let us know! 

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