# Small world, big ideas

**Ten short play starts. One child's world. Plenty of room to change it.**

For a familiar adult and a child roughly aged 3–5. Choose by the individual
child's interests, communication and comfort; this is not an age test.
Make an imaginary place, give a visitor something to do, leave a message,
change a route or invent an entirely new world. A blank page is enough.
Talking, signing, familiar communication supports (including augmentative
and alternative communication, AAC), pointing and directing an adult all have
complete routes. No printer, purchased kit, account or finished project needed.

**Have a moment now?** Start with
[a place for a visitor](cards/01-a-place-for-a-visitor.md), or
[open the optional play helper](digital/index.html).
The adult reads and supports the activity; the child does not need to read.
Each card has a one-sentence opening; longer prompts are optional.

## Pick a start

| Start | A useful thing to make or do |
| --- | --- |
| [01 · A place for a visitor](cards/01-a-place-for-a-visitor.md) | Give an imagined place a purpose. |
| [02 · A visitor with a job](cards/02-a-visitor-with-a-job.md) | Connect a character's action to a purpose. |
| [03 · Make a way through](cards/03-make-a-way-through.md) | Represent and optionally trace a pretend route. |
| [04 · Leave a little message](cards/04-leave-a-little-message.md) | Give a mark, picture or familiar communication a meaning. |
| [05 · A small-world problem](cards/05-a-small-world-problem.md) | Choose a possible change and an optional pretend try. |
| [06 · Sort for a purpose](cards/06-sort-for-a-purpose.md) | Make understandable groups with an own rule. |
| [07 · The place changes](cards/07-the-place-changes.md) | Change a story while keeping any wanted part. |
| [08 · A guide for a new visitor](cards/08-a-guide-for-a-new-visitor.md) | Choose useful information for an imagined recipient. |
| [09 · Two ways to play](cards/09-two-ways-to-play.md) | Carry an agreed idea into another chosen form. |
| [10 · Keep, change or start again](cards/10-keep-change-or-start-again.md) | Choose the next play direction, including finishing. |

About ten minutes when useful. The path can run over two weeks, a month,
several sittings or one favourite repeated for enjoyment. Start anywhere.
Every card has a fresh entry when earlier play is unavailable, three concrete
routes, two worked fictional contexts, a later start and an extra invitation.
The series contains 30 routes and 20 worked examples; they are authored
examples, not observations of children or proof of learning outcomes.

## Make it yours

- [Parent guide](PARENT-GUIDE.md): quick setup, adult support and optional sequence.
- [Adaptations](ADAPTATIONS.md): useful choices without fixed learner labels.
- [Ten read-aloud scripts](READ-ALOUDS.md): original invitations to read, sign or adapt.
- [Eight print aids and exact linear alternatives](print/TEXT-ALTERNATIVES.md).
- [Noticing and next moves](OBSERVE-AND-NEXT.md): optional educator guidance, no home paperwork.
- [Sources and framework limits](SOURCE-NOTES.md): Australian EYLF V2.0 inspiration; no school-year or state syllabus claim.
- [Rights](RIGHTS.md): freely share and adapt with credit.
- [Review record](REVIEW.md): actual checks and remaining human review.

The local helper changes supplied art immediately when a place, visitor or
purpose is chosen. One choice is enough. Choose another to replace it, select
the same button again to clear it, or start blank again. Its pictures are
suggestions; the child's own drawing or story can be entirely different.
No-script invitations and complete paper/oral routes remain available.

## Edit an invitation

Use your own words on the card, or adapt the editable [source data](play-path.json).
Each start keeps its intention, preparation, loose steps, routes, examples
and later options together. Preserve the child's choice and stop option;
record an adult's making separately from a child's action. Credit the original
and describe your changes. An educator can review the source notes against
their service's current local framework before using it in a programme.

This is an original reviewed authoring draft, not a tested classroom programme,
developmental assessment, full early-years curriculum or evidence of benefit.
It does not replace a child's established communication or support plan.

© NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026 · CC BY 4.0.