Kids Play Space Refresh - Art Area + Small World Table
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
A quick look at our current play space set ups to invite play.
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It was time for a quick refresh and tidy up of our kids play space at home. Our kids art space and small world table were looking very messy and not getting much attention. This is how I know when it is time to make a change - when they stop playing/creating here!
It's time to make a few changes when children stop playing/creating in the spaces!
This play space is in the dining room of our home. We don't have room for a playroom, so we have little play spaces throughout our living areas. I strongly believe in creating an intentional environment that invites play and learning, through setting up little spaces that are welcoming and engaging!
*Important - all play ideas shown here are for children ages 3+ with adult supervision. They contain small parts which pose a choking hazard to young children. It is your resonsbilitiy to determine the suitability of these ideas for your child/ren.
Small World Table
This small world table is favourite - especially with my three year old! The wooden tree house is from a brand called Magic Wood. I bought it from Honeybee toys many years ago.
We added in some Papoose brand felt houses and trees. A grass table runner underneath and some animal figurines from Kmart Australia and Grapat Nins to play with. The felt mat is from Gus and Mabel. You could add in a simple piece of blue felt cut in a lake shape here instead. We do this sometimes too and it works just as well as the fancy mats and materials.
My children add in extra things to these small worlds as they play, including more props and figurines as they wish.
Small world play is great for developing vocabulary and oral language skills. It's also great for developing imagination and creativity when telling stories with the characters.
If you don't have room for a table, a small tray with some simple props would work well too! Remember use what you already have or add in some natural items from outside. You don't need to go out and buy lots of new items to make fun play invitations.
You can watch a quick video of the small world table here:
Here you can see some additional things that my children have added in - like a little bridge (from Qtoys )over the water and some little woven mats for the animals to sleep on.
This trolley (pictured below) has our days of the week cards + our Grapat days of the week calendar. Each colour is for a different day of the week.
Our cards here are from Two Little Ducklings. They are the days, months and seasons flashcards.
We also have textas on the top of this trolley, watercolour paints and brushes, playdough rollers, playdough tools, tubs of playdough. Stencils and unfinished drawings are kept in the top shelf, under the calendar.
Kids Art and Craft Space
It was time for a tidy up and change around in the art area to spark new creativity.
The pegboard materials stay mostly the same. We have the following on our peg board:
Scissors and glue
Greylead pencils
Rock crayons
Paper punches
Paint sticks
Fancy scissors
Washi tape
Roller crayons and a ruler
Pencils and dot markers sorted by colour.
Clipboards with blank A4 white paper on the windowsill
Sketch books under the table
Desktop easel underneath the pegboard
Art trays behind the desktop easel to grab easily for art projects.
Current art/craft materials out in the art area
I added this little shelf (from Kmart many years ago now) to the art table for the moment. In each of the little shelves I added some different materials. Some are for creating with and some are for using with the playdough.
Pop sticks
Buttons
Ribbon
Feathers
Googly eyes
Blank cards and envelopes (from Kmart Australia)
Gems (for using with playdough)
Sticker books
Watercolour paint + water spray bottle (the larger watercolour palettes are on the trolley sitting next to this table. I'm hoping this little palette will prompt the girls to paint with the watercolour paints more.)
I will refill/change up this materials as needed.
Play Space Refresh - Kids Art Area + Small World Table
Thanks for reading this blog post! I hope you found some inspiration today.
Making simple changes to a play space invites new play and new creations. I do this when I see my children have stopped playing/creating here, rather than on a set timeline. Sometimes setups last for a very long time, other times they need to be changed up more often. I follow my girls lead to decide what to do.
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✨Let's create a kinder world: one playful,
mindful and creative moment at a time.✨
Danica 🩷
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