Mary Had a Little Lamb | Nursery Rhyme Invitation to Play
Sing, explore, care and imagine! Bringing a much loved nursery rhyme to life through meaningful, hands on play.
Our Mary Had a Little Lamb Invitation to Play is a beautifully designed, two page planning resource inspired by the traditional nursery rhyme, encouraging children to explore storytelling, kindness, friendship and imaginative small world play.
Using simple, natural materials and familiar farm animals, this gentle invitation encourages children to recreate the story, care for the little lamb and develop their own ideas through open ended exploration.
Perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, childminders, nurseries and early years settings, this resource celebrates the power of simple play experiences and the wonderful learning opportunities they create.
What's included?
2 beautifully designed A4 printable pages
A realistic, inspiring small world play set up
Simple resource and preparation guidance
Step by step invitation to play
Key vocabulary to support communication and language
Observation prompts to help practitioners notice learning
Extension ideas to develop children's interests and understanding
Learning opportunities
Developing communication and language through songs, stories and conversation
Encouraging imaginative play and storytelling
Exploring kindness, friendship, care and belonging
Strengthening fine motor skills through handling small world resources
Developing sensory awareness through natural materials
Encouraging creativity, independence and problem solving
Making connections between nursery rhymes and real life experiences
Ideas for play
Create a small world farm using grass, wooden fences, stones and a toy lamb.
Sing Mary Had a Little Lamb together and encourage children to recreate the story.
Introduce a little schoolhouse and explore where the lamb might go.
Provide a bowl, water and natural materials for children to care for the lamb.
Add more farm animals and encourage children to develop their own stories.
Explore textures such as soft, rough and smooth.
Take the play outdoors and extend children's interests through nature.
Inclusive and adaptable
Designed to support children at different developmental stages, including children with SEND.
Keep the invitation simple and allow children to engage in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful to them.
Children can participate through exploring textures, moving objects, singing, signing, pointing, storytelling or using their preferred communication methods.
Use familiar objects, repeated vocabulary and adult modelling to support understanding, while allowing children the freedom to lead their own play.
Real materials. Real play. Big learning.
A gentle, meaningful invitation that demonstrates how the simplest resources can inspire rich learning experiences, nurture relationships and encourage children to explore the world around them.
The Early Years Edit | The Play Library
Digital PDF download only. No physical product will be posted.
