Bringing learning to life with Interplaylands

Recently, I caught sight of the words ‘unlimited play’ on the side of a bus. I hoped this referred to a new play facility for children, so I was disappointed to discover that the advert referred to online gaming.

I'm Ruth Moyler, a teacher and creativity advisor. Working in South London, I've found that small-world play, when personalised, can greatly improve children's imaginative abilities and their interactions with friends. This article is all about the opportunities for play and learning that small play centres, called Interplaylands, can offer. I’ve watched Key Stage 1 and 2 students develop storytelling, imagination, and high quality writing as they engage in this fun class project.

What are Interplaylands?

Interplaylands are four-sectioned cardboard play worlds fixed onto a circular base. Each one is different, customised according to children’s interests. These wonderful, unique worlds are joined together by secret doors and windows; each child can explore them however they want.

The ‘eureka moment’ occurred when I witnessed the transformative impact a complex small-world play resource had on my challenging class of reception-age children. I brought an Interplayland into the classroom and watched with delight as my class of unsettled children, many with language delays and short attention spans, went from awestruck to utterly engaged. They explored this play piece first with their eyes, and then with their fingers. Active, purposeful interaction was taking place.

From an educator’s perspective, small-world play provides an opportunity to observe developmental skills as children navigate their own cardboard creations. Some children might create and build more within the structures, while others may choose to sit and play with their creation.

Interplaylands in the classroom

I was particularly struck how one of the children, Julius, created his own ‘magic house’. He stuck down egg-box pieces, plastic lids, and stickers to make a bedroom with a big bed. Next, he created a living room with a sofa and a huge TV, and a bathroom with a large bath. His fourth room, however, he turned into a park. Julius looked at me with shining eyes, and told me, “I am going to jump out of my bed and go into my park!”     

When I showed this piece to Julius’ dad, he laughed. “Julius doesn’t like to eat,” he explained, “so he won’t want a kitchen. Straight to the park, that’s him!”

I invited an early years’ consultant to come observe what this activity had achieved in my classroom. She pointed out that the children were using critical thinking and encouraged me to document their play. I then showcased an exhibition of this work in the main school building.

The unintended result from this display was the invitation to work with the Year 6 class, and I was given two lessons. The task was to create Interplaylands to accompany their key text, which was set in the medieval period. The teacher emphasised that the children’s writing needed improvement, and appreciated any support as the class approached their SATs. 

My first lesson focused on helping the children design their ideal bedroom within a corner room of their cardboard Interplayland. A week later, I asked them to design a medieval bedroom in the second corner. The final twist was to glue both corners together, and make a door between the two rooms. I asked the children to write a piece about going back in time through a secret door in their bedroom. The thinking and problem-solving that took place during this process was revealed when these children undertook the related writing task. The teacher reported that the creative play task had empowered their writing skills.

Make your own Interplaylands!

With each class I support, I take a very open-ended approach. I bring in ready-cut cardboard corners and a range of re-usable materials, dividing the children into friendship groups of four. Each child then works on one corner of their creation, and their own mini-me character.  Then we assemble the four corners into one Interplayland, and the play that follows is wonderful!

These play centres can be developed gradually over an entire academic year, or displayed once and sent home. Whatever the result, there is great value and pupil engagement in this activity which I have used successfully across KS1 & KS2.

Here are ten steps to help you create your own small-world play centre in the classroom.

 Step 1: Gather what you will need for the first stage: a medium sized packaging box, bread knife or small saw, Stanley knife, PVA glue, masking tape, eight clothes pegs.

Step 2: Measure & draw a straight vertical centre line on each of the four sides of the box and on the box base, where these lines will cross each other.

Step 3: Cut along the lines beginning with the base: use the Stanley knife, since you are likely to be cutting through more than one layer of cardboard. The side walls are easier to cut with a straightforward sawing motion – safer too!

Step 4:  The walls of your 3D corner will be straight and flat, but the floor section is likely to need more adjustment. If there are two overlapping flaps, cut off the smaller one of these. Use masking tape to attach the sides of the flap to the sides of the base. Extend if necessary.

Step 5: Stack the corners, one inside the other, to see how similar they are. If you used a square box, these 3D corners will be uniform. If you used a rectangular box, reduce the wider wall sizes to match the narrower wall sizes.

Step 6: Assemble your four 3D corners back-to-back so that the walls touch each other. This is your basic Interplaylands shape, but before you glue these together, make some decisions about the shape of the base, and the shape of the walls. If you are happy with the straight edges, leave them. If not, redesign one corner, then place this one inside the other three, and one at a time, draw around this new shape.

Step 7: Glue the four corner pieces back-to-back, and use two or three clothes pegs on each double wall to keep them in place until dry. I also recommend that you glue the base and place it onto a further piece of card for additional strength. Leave to dry overnight.

Step 8: Gather what you need for the decoration stage: White undercoat paint and paint brush, wallpaper, wrapping paper, magazines, eggboxes, small cardboard food packets, etc.

Step 9: Optional. If you want to include painted backgrounds or felt pen design as part of your design, you do need to paint the whole cardboard structure white first. When working with very young children I tend to leave out this stage.

Step 10: Now the real fun begins! You have four sections and many choices! Will the sections be accessible through doors and windows, ladders over the wall or holes under the ground? Enjoy the process.

Remember, you can make houses with different rooms, or worlds with different lands! Jungleland, Fairyland, Pirateland, Dinosaurland. . .   

Conclusion

I’ll end with a short testimonial. Emma Lofthouse has invested in Interplaylands for every class in her school. She continues to actively encourage their usage as integral to the school development plan. Emma says:

“For reluctant writers, the use of Interplaylands is proving a supportive resource, giving those children the confidence to be creative first verbally, and then in written form. Developing oracy to enhance writing is one target on the Bolney 2023/24 school development plan and we will use our Interplaylands to develop talk, story-telling, imagination and ultimately high quality writing as a result.”

Playful approaches to learning do not just apply to early years children. Dare to experiment with fun and imagination. Grab a few boxes, scissors, and materials and go for it!