Planet Earth Big World Play

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OK so you have heard of small world play and I of course love a good small world. It’s handy and cute and perfectly sized for small hands and bodies. But have you heard of BIG World Play? Probably not because I sort of just made it up!

Well, what is Big World Play?

Big Worlds are just like small worlds only they are larger than your child. They can incorporate several different parts and toys at once and if you have more than one little one at home big worlds can be your solution to the sharing problem. Or if you are like me and have twins both your toddlers can play happily together but separate.

The easiest way to get started with a Big World is with sidewalk chalk.

Artists Need Not Apply

So I am no artist. True story I love art but have zero talent for it. So don’t worry if you are like me and can barely draw a circle free hand.

Your little one doesn’t care one bit and will just love that you are getting on the ground and playing with them.

Drawing the Earth

Start out by drawing a large circle. Think about 2 meters in diameter.

Don’t worry about making the continents exactly as they are on the our planet. Think more about creating climate zones:

Tundra – for the polar regions
Desert and Grasslands – for Africa
Rainforest – for South America
Boreal Forest – for North America, and
Mountain – for Europe

It’s not exact but it is sufficient to make a realistic world for your toddler or preschooler.

Once you have the outline of each continent it’s time to colour them in. You can get your preschooler or toddler to help you out with this part!

In between the continents is of course are the oceans. Be sure to colour in the oceans as well. They can become a really fun part of the play!

Time to Set Up the Play

The best toys for this type of Big Play are Fisher-Price Little People Zoo Animal Friends. They have animals appropriate for most of the climate zones, they are big and fun and colourful perfect for little ones and they are already familiar with them.

I also add some people and other animals and a few plastic trees I had as well and then I let the imagination of my toddler run wild.

For preschoolers and older toddlers this is the kind of activity you can unleash them on their own and they will create their own make believe play.

For younger toddlers you will most likely have to sit and play with them but this is also a great opportunity to talk about the animals and environment start to build and expand their vocabulary.

Such a Hit

This was such a hit that I cannot express it enough in words. My daughter abosolutely loved this activity and still asks me to draw it whenever we are outside playing and she gets bore.