Build a Tiny World · Connected Through Play

🔥

Build a Tiny World

Have you ever worked with miniatures? M mom and dad worked on a dollhouse project for years and now it's my daughters. Finding the perfect tiny lamp or couch is such an adventure and of course, you could make the items yourself. Today, our activity explores world building which works great for storytelling and also for adventure games such as the ones

@Cam Parkes

runs. He'll be doing a session on those during the Unplug & Play summit next month, too.

So, let's ask ourselves and the children in our lives, "What if an entire world could fit on your kitchen table?" Can you build a miniature place from things you already have, then discover the stories hiding inside it.

Gather Your Gear:

Use whatever you have available. Possibilities include:

Cardboard or a box lid for a base
Building blocks
Paper and cardboard scraps
Cups, containers, or small boxes
Toy figures or animals
Fabric or yarn
Natural materials such as sticks, stones, or leaves
Tape
Scissors
Crayons or markers

No special supplies are necessary. The challenge is to reimagine what you already have.

Steps:

Choose your world. Decide what kind of place you're building. It might be underground, underwater, high in the clouds, inside a giant tree, on another planet, or somewhere completely your own.
Create the landscape. Establish the basic shape of your world. A towel might become an ocean. Cups could become towers. A cardboard tube might become a tunnel.
Make a place to live. Who or what lives here? Build at least one place that meets their needs.
Add something important. Create a place or object the inhabitants value. Maybe it's their only water source, a mysterious monument, the best gathering place, or something completely ridiculous.
Add a problem. Something about this world makes life interesting or difficult. A bridge has collapsed. The river keeps moving. Something lives beneath the town. Nobody knows what is inside the enormous box.
Enter the world. Use figures, objects, fingers, or your imagination to move through your creation. What happens when someone encounters the places and problems you've built?
Keep rebuilding. Move, remove, or add pieces as your play changes the world. Your creation doesn't need to stay the way it started.

If you'd like to see the additional twist or variations for different ages, go to the Story Lab or click #Build a Tiny World to go straight to the activity. Share your creations here.

14 comments

Build a Tiny World