Small world play is a type of imaginative play in the early years of child development that uses toys to create scenes from real life, stories or imagination.

Small world play sets can be based on a theme, such as a train station, which children can set up by joining a few pieces together. They can also be based on things children hear about in stories, such as Noah’s Ark. Or, they could be educational toys such as animals, numbers, or shapes.

There are many benefits of small world play in the development of various mental and physical faculties in children. Let’s see the top 4 benefits of small world play here.

1. Language and Speech Development

Engaging in small world play drives children’s imaginations. They begin vocalising their thoughts while playing with someone. This helps them develop their speech and language. They can learn to use basic nouns, verbs, and phrases and can go on to create full sentences to describe their world.

2. Emotional Development

When children play with others, they enact scenes from real life or imagination, such as setting up a kitchen or dragon castles. It allows them to express how they feel about these things in a safe way. They can connect with other children emotionally and describe how they feel about certain things like playing with animals.

3. Physical Development

Small world play toys come in various shapes and sizes. Grabbing the toys, trying to match the pieces to one another, and moving items around the play area help develop fine motor skills in children. It also helps develop their coordination skills and spatial awareness.

4. Intellectual Development 

Small world scenes can help develop intellectual abilities in children by allowing them to see and understand the outside world in a safe space. They can learn about the various roles in their society, such as doctors with doctor play sets. They can understand how some places and things look, such as a garage or a helicopter and will be able to identify these things in real life, too.

Types of Small World Games

When setting up a small world play area for your child, you can add some of these items to their space:

• Dollhouses, dolls and accessories for the house
• Train sets and their extensions
• A toy garage
• Vehicles
• Animals
• Doctor playsets
• Building blocks and stackable toys
• Musical toys