Want to boost your kids’ imagination with an open-ended sensory activity? Try small world play like this African safari sensory tray I put together for my preschooler.
A small world is a miniature version of a real or imaginary setting. If you’re interested in learning more, Little Lifelong Learners has a great post on how to get started with small world play.
Small world set ups are an easy way for me to immerse my preschooler in a new world. With a small world, she can act out and explore settings and environments to her hearts content without having to go anywhere.
I recently bought a new set of mini toy animals from the craft store (half off at Michael’s with coupon, yay!!) just for this purpose.
This was my first time setting up a small world like this. Previous miniature imaginary play we’ve done has all been done by Elena. I provide building material, like blocks or tiles, and little dolls and she does whatever she wants with them. Usually ends up building an ice castle and making one of the dolls sing, “Let It Go.”
So I was excited to branch out into some “real world” play. At least as real as you can get when you’re pretending.
How We Set Up the Safari Small World
Disclosure: We use sponsored, or affiliate, links, which means that we could earn a small commission that helps fund our blog (at no extra cost to you!). All opinions are our own and we only recommend products we love. Thank you for your support and happy shopping!
The supplies I used were:
- rimmed metal tray (similar tray linked here)
- blue felt
- dry lentils
- raffia or dried grass
- mini toy animals
First, I cut the blue felt into an oval shape to represent water. That went on one end of the tray.
Next I put a layer of lentils down in the middle of the tray. I figured this could be rocks or dirt or food depending on what Elena wanted to do with it.
On the other end of the tray, I put green raffia that I cut into smaller strands to represent grass. I could’ve harvested some dead grass from the backyard, but seeing as it was 15 degrees outside on the day we did this, I’m happy with the fake grass we used.
Finally, I scattered the animals throughout the tray.
Elena watched me put the tray together and let me tell you, she was bursting with excitement. I could barely keep her away.
Kind of annoying as I was trying to film and shoot the process, but also really exciting because I was hoping she would be excited to play with small world set ups.
Playing with the Small World
If you watched the video, then you got a little sneak peek into how Elena played with the small world play tray.
We talked about each of the animals. What their names were, what sound they made, and what they liked to eat (grass, meat, or both).
I explained that all these animals are from another place called Africa (I hope I was right, lol), and that Africa is really far away from where we live and very different from here.
She said, “Oh, like Chicago?”
(Chicago is about as far away as she can comprehend right now!)
Not wanting to dive into a very long conversation filled with whys, the lazy mom in me just said, “Yes. As far away as Chicago.”
Elena decided that the lion was going to be her baby, and she spent a good ten minutes burying it in lentils, then feeding it lentils and giving it hugs.
She also decided she wanted to be “a animal protector.” She’s been really into dress-up lately, so she tried to convince me that she needed binoculars, a hat, a new headband, and a bow.
What We’re Learning
Small world play is rich with learning opportunities. We’d never talked about topics like what animals eat and where they live before.
This safari small world was perfect for my imaginative little girl. She loved taking care of the animals and pretending to be an animal protector and explorer.
Plus, small world play is screen-free fun. I’m all for screen-free activities to entertain my preschooler!
Your Turn to Make an African Animal Small World
I hope this post inspires you to help your kids dive into sensory and imaginative play, especially if your kids love animals.