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How is the area organised? Floor, table top, interactive display?
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How are the materials stored and labelled? Are they easily accessible for child use?
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Do resources include a range of miniature figures, animals and mini beasts, vehicles, play
mats, relevant books and mark making materials etc.
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Do the materials reflect a range of materials – natural and man made?
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Are sand, coloured paper, carpet squares, materials available to provide backgrounds?
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Can children combine equipment to develop and extend their play?
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Can the children record work done? E.g. photograph a set up? Draw a picture / plan of
the set up.
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Are there different sized trays, baskets, shoe boxes etc. available for children to use to
set up the play?
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Are children shown how to use the materials and encouraged to clear up after
themselves?
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Do you ensure that the toys are kept clean and in good repair?
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Do adults have opportunities to work in the area to support and extend children’s play?
Does small world provision provide exciting opportunities for children to create stories,
events and imaginative play in the setting?
Are story boxes developed to extend the range of provision and to support topics and
themes?
How could this area of provision be extended into construction, sand and water play and
the outdoor area?
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Anne Conroy (Teaching and Learning Consultant EYFS) Lancashire LPDS 2013
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Carpeted floor area /bay (this could be situated close to the construction area)
Range of labelled storage drawers/boxes, accessible to make resources accessible to
children
Small baskets to present the resources available to children /offer choices
A variety of trays – plastic trays in different sizes - litter trays, plant pot saucers, seed trays,
gravel/grow bag trays, cement mixing trays, potting compost trays
Fabrics – wool, rugs, carpet squares , silk, velvet, velour, hessian – mats, cord, lace, fur,
cotton, towelling, seersucker, plastic coated,
Boxes and materials to create imaginary places e.g. shoe boxes, large & small cardboard
boxes
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Imitation buildings e.g. house, garage, farm, zoo, school, etc.
Play people, including multi-cultural
Plastic/wooden wild animals, rainforest
Plastic/wooden domestic animals, farm animals, woodland creatures, dinosaurs
Plastic/wooden cars and vehicles, road signs, emergency services vehicles
Train set, airport, building site, park, space set, fantasy and fairytale lands
Small world furniture, cutlery /utensils
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Play mats for setting up equipment e.g farm mat, road mat, house area
Sand (natural & coloured), bricks, gravel, pebbles, bark, sticks, logs, rocks, seeds, twigs,
small plants, potting compost…….
Cellulose paste or soapflake slime – add different food colourings – black for mud,
green/blue for water……
Shredded tissue or shiny paper, vivelle, artificial grass, sand paper, hologram or shiny
paper in different colours, wallpaper, wrapping paper…
Junk materials to create different features in environments – boxes, cardboard tubes,
foil, plastic trays, pipe cleaners, lolly sticks, and fixing resources – masking tape, blu tack,
sellotape, etc
Pens and paper
Range of fiction and non- fiction books to support play and extend ideas
Digital camera to record created worlds.
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Anne Conroy (Teaching and Learning Consultant EYFS) Lancashire LPDS 2013