For more than two years now Immy has been fairy mad! She has quite the collection of fairy figurines, of the Disney, Papo and Schleich varieties, and I thought it would be fun to set out a sparkly invitation to create a magical water world for the fairies.
On our outdoor table I laid down a towel and plastic tray. To a plastic tray I added a clear, plastic salad bowl, a collection of coloured fairy rocks, flowers and petals, sequins, glitter, a fake flower lily pad, mini paper umbrella and a collection of small, plastic lids. Alongside the tray I placed a small jug of water, a metal soup spoon and three fairy figurines.
Starting out with glitter…that I could have guessed as we are a totally glitterific household! Lots of glitter…
The lilypad and umbrella were added and then some water.
Flowers next and then came the question…
“Can I make the whole tray a fairy world?” Of course!
Sparkles, water and fairies are three of Immy’s favourite things and I cannot tell you how much joy, engagement and dedicated time of focused play have resulted from this invitation. And it is ongoing. Plus a freshen up of the tray (with permission, of course) and a new jug of water and the play can start all over again.
And Tinkerbell and her fairy friends seem to like it too!
I find that small world play and invitations like this are a fabulous way to engage children with their interests. What are your children currently interested in? Would a small world or invitation to play help to extend their interest?
Related Posts
- Find all of our Invitation to Play posts here
- Elements for Creating Invitations to Play: What You Can Use
- Play Date Preparation
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
