Small-world play is an invaluable part of classroom provision – both in the form of continuous provision and as enhancement. By providing a rich range of resources, practitioners can model how to create scenes which can enhance and deepen children’s play and lead to a greater understanding of the world.
‘If we think of small-world play areas as being story factories,’ explains Phil Armstrong of Early Excellence, ‘setting the scene becomes the landscape for those stories to take place. From here, children can draw on their imaginations and experiences and be involved in rich, sustained play.’
PRETEND PLAY
Development Matters(2020) highlights small-world play in the context of pretend play and gives an indication of what is developmentally appropriate for children at different ages:
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