Small world can often cause some confusion when it comes to resources. It is important to remember that small world play allows the child to create their own small world using their imagination and resources available to you. It also allows the child to explore the world they live in.
Depending on your topic there are many resources for small world, some may come from parents if you ask for donations, others you may have to invest in yourself. I invested in this dolls house from ToysrUs in the North. It is gender neutral and comes with a variety of furniture also. You can also purchase extra small world people for the dolls house. The dolls house can have many functions, as the dolls house, as the doctor’s surgery or even the hotel for going on holidays. Never underestimate the children’s imaginations when it comes to small world.
I also have a road map mat and small vehicles, cars, tractors, trucks etc. I also have some emergency vehicles for some topics. These resources are often easy to pick up in Euro Giant or Dealz, or any good toy shop too, depending on your budget.
Animals are another key resource in small world. These can often be difficult to source, especially for sea animals or jungle animals. For these animals I found some on Amazon. Standard farm animals should be available in your local toy shop.
Finally I also added some smaller building blocks to small world, foam blocks are ideal as children can use them to create their own buildings or walls in Small World. Foam blocks or small building blocks should also be available in your local toy shop.
This is not an exhaustive list of resources for small world. If you have any other ideas feel free to share them.
A.M.
Aistear Múinteoir 