Playing with collections of farm animals provides children with opportunities to cover all areas of the curriculum. Small worlds can be created with natural materials like bark, and children can use other resources like blocks to build enclosures for the animals to live in.
Some children may be interested in caring for the animals by feeding them with pieces of carrot or grain, or creating cosy places for them to sleep. Others may want to count and sort out the animals, placing mothers next to their offspring in size order. Some will enjoy acting out the role of a farmer, driving a toy tractor, wearing a worksuit and wellies and moving around real bales of hay. Either way, playing with farm animals can broaden children's understanding of the world around them.
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