Small World Play Goes Large

Big Adventures for Little Learners

Sometimes, the best way to engage little hands and big imaginations is to think large. Giant small world play might sound like a contradiction, but in early years it can make perfect sense. When you scale up the resources (for example, go LARGE), you open up the possibilities for language, for movement, for connection, and for our youngest learners.

In this blog, we will explore how giant small world setups can offer meaningful learning opportunities for all children.

Giant Small World Play

There’s something appealing about oversized play resources. They tend to draw children in physically and invite collaboration. Giant small world setups are particularly beneficial for babies, toddlers and young children, and for example, some children with SEND who are still developing motor control. Chunky pieces are easier to grip, position and move around, and see, making the experience more accessible and inclusive.

There are many scaled up small resources to choose from but here are a few that we are going to look at in more detail with some top tips for using them in your setting.

The Small World Giant Wooden Dolls House

The Giant Small World Wooden Dolls House isn’t just a doll’s house—it’s also a stage for storytelling. With its open sides, durable build and generous scale, it’s designed for group play and immersive scenes. Children can sit beside it, peer inside, or reach deep into the rooms as they play, helping them to feel truly part of the story.

Top tips:

• Keep baskets of props nearby—fabric scraps for rugs and bedding, wooden food pieces, soft dolls—as open-ended prompts.
• Use it to introduce and discuss social routines to the children: bedtime, cooking, visitors, cleaning, or family mealtimes.

Furnishing the Story: Small World Giant Wooden Dolls House Furniture

Realistic and robust, the Giant Furniture Set adds a layer of familiarity that helps children make connections with home life. It also introduces opportunities for mathematical language and storytelling—talking about size, position, and number. Ideal for re-enacting favourite stories such as ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ whilst learning about size and measure.

Ideas to try:

• Let children arrange and rearrange furniture. Where will the bed go today? Who gets the big chair?
• Use the furniture and other props to create scenarios: someone is poorly and needs to rest, or someone is having a birthday party.
• Encourage turn-taking with “Who lives here today?” Activities like this encourage the children to share stories about their own families and experiences.

Small World Giant Wooden Peg People

What makes a house a home – the people and memories that are inside it! The Small World Giant Wooden Peg People are simple but offer lots of opportunities. Their minimal design means they can be anyone—grandparents, teachers, superheroes, or themselves. This openness is ideal for storytelling, role play, and exploring identity.

Top tip:

• Give children the opportunity to place themselves at the centre of their small world play by having mini me figures created by adding laminated images of the children onto wooden blocks. You could even make these larger by printing out larger images and using bigger blocks!

Small World Giant Wooden Car and Other Vehicles

Life is full of adventures and journeys. Why not add the Giant Small World Wooden Car or other vehicles to the children’s play. Whether it’s the school run, a trip to the doctor or a holiday adventure, adding transport can extend the small world story beyond the house walls.

Ideas to explore:

• Use road mats, road tape or masking tape on the floor to create streets and destinations.
• Add signs and symbols to bring in literacy and numeracy—speed limits, stop signs, shop names (chalkboard buildings are an ideal resource for making bespoke villages that lie beyond the home).
• Introduce cause and effect by building gentle ramps or bridges to test how the car moves. These also make for interesting car journey stories!

Beyond the Four Walls

Once the setup is established, the world can keep growing. Here are some simple ways to extend play:

• Add natural elements—twigs, stones, felt, and shells—to bring in outdoor textures and to create a garden or outdoor area.
• Include baskets of seasonal items to spark fresh ideas (for example, conkers in autumn, flowers in spring).
• Link to books you’re reading—can the characters from today’s story pop by for tea?

Small World with a Difference

Giant small world play offers a unique way to blend physical, social and imaginative learning. When the pieces are big, the possibilities feel bigger too. Whether it’s a quiet solo story or a busy house party with lots of voices, every scenario will bring new stories and learning experiences to the children’s play.

For more information on small world play, why not read our blog, ‘The Importance of Small World Play in Early Childhood‘ or ‘Small World Play – Shardi’s Vaziri’s Top 5′