# Backyard Farm Small World
> Bring the toy farm animals outside to a dirt patch and let kids plan and build their own farm with gates, a pig pen, grazing fields and a vegetable garden. Finish by washing the animals in a tub of soapy water.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/farm-in-your-backyard-quick-play-idea/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 5 min, activity 45 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group
- Skills: imaginative-play, language, planning, nature-exploration, sensory-exploration
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Toy farm animals (pigs, cows, lambs, horses)
- 1 piece Toy barn (optional)
- Toy fences or gates
- Toy vegetables (optional)
- A non-farm toy animal or two (e.g. a lion or a whale) (optional)
- 1 piece Dirt patch or tilled garden bed (household)
- Grass clippings (household)
- 1 piece Big tub (household)
- Soap (household)
- Water (household)

## Safety
- Supervise toddlers closely: small toy animals and vegetables can be choking hazards, and little ones may mouth dirt.
- Check the dirt patch for sharp objects, glass or anything unsafe before play.
- Wash hands well after playing in dirt and handling bugs.
- Adult supervises the tub of soapy water at all times, especially with toddlers.

## Steps
1. Talk about farms while you collect the toys: What is a farm? What toys do we need? Do we need vegetables or just animals? What will the animals eat?
2. Carry the farm animals, barn, fences and toy vegetables out to a dirt patch.
3. Agree on a layout for the farm together.
4. Build the gates and fences first so the animals can't escape.
5. Build the pig pen and set out the cows and lambs.
6. Scatter grass clippings around so the animals can munch.
7. Build horse stables and look out for bugs like roly polies.
8. Plant the toy vegetables in the farmer's garden.
9. Wash the animals in a big tub of soapy water when play is done.

## Tips
- Instead of handing kids the items for play, we talk about the farm while collecting the things we need. Simple questions while getting ready to play have always worked for us.
- To engage a toddler, just have her bring a few farm animals out to play.
- Every now and then I'd 'slip up' and bring a lion or a whale. My 4 year old found that hilarious.
- Older kids can go about making their own setup.
- Simply playing with the usual toys in a different setting (dirt) gives animal play more excitement.
- Cleaning up is just as fun because it involves soap and water.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

Welcome to the third week of Quick Play Ideas. You can read about the previous weeks **[here](https://www.funlittles.com/quick-play-idea-with-rainbow-rice/)** and **[here](https://www.funlittles.com/fine-motor-activity-for-the-baby-stack-up-towers-quick-play-idea/)**. To reiterate "Quick Play Ideas" is about simple kids activity that can be set up in minutes notice. In fact I'm a little hesitant to even use the word "set-up" because there isn't much involved and even if there is older kids can go about making their own setup.. They can be a wonderful boredom busting tool or a distraction tool, or a mom's favorite alternative to " Mom, one last show please" Today we are back with another activity with animals. What can I say? All things wildlife is my 4 year old's go-to activity. It's great to have indoor toys and outdoors toys. But every now and then we mix it up and bring all our animals outside for a grand time of imaginative play. On this particular day with glorious weather we dragged out farm animals and headed out to our newly tilled dirt patch under our beloved fig tree. Before we went my kids and I had a brief discussion on "farm" itself. Simple questions while getting ready to play have always worked for us. As opposed to giving them items needed for play, we talk about it while collecting the things needed. It helps that our sensory/small world bins are only moderately elaborate.

What is a farm?" "What toys do you think we need to carry?" " Do we need vegetables or just animals" " What will the animals eat there?" To engage my toddler I just had her bring a few farm animals out to play. Every now and then I'd "slip up" and bring a lion or a whale. My 4 year old found that hilarious..:) As far as play time was concerned the kids were creating and arguing over the layout of my backyard farm. We'd soon agree on a layout and start creating the farm one part at a time.. My 4 year old did the gates first because her animals should not escape!

 We built the pig pen and set out our cows and lambs. With some grass clippings strewn around those animals were happily munching around 

 Horse stables are a must for my " When can I learn horse riding" girl! Of course we are going to find roly poly while playing.

 Farmer also grows her own vegetables.



 Simply by playing with her usual toys in a different setting ( dirt) we gave the "animal play" activity more excitement. The kids and I had a wonderful afternoon engaging in this fun imaginative play which requires NO PREP or set-ups.

After backyard farm play cleaning is just as fun because it involves soap and water. The kids cleaned up the animals and we washed them in a big tub of soapy water. In fact washing the animals in itself can be a fun too-hot-for-the-park afternoon activity.



**Thanks for reading**



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