Hepworth Town & Country Play Mats | Pack of 4 Small World Mats

Give children four places to explore with the Hepworth Town & Country Play Mats Pack of 4. This set of illustrated small world play mats features a seaside, an airport, a village and a hospital. Each mat measures 100 × 75 cm and provides a setting for children to bring their own vehicles, figures and ideas into play. They can visit a different location each day, follow the printed roads or invent a journey that takes their characters from one scene to another.

The pictures offer a starting point, while children decide who is involved, what happens and how the adventure ends. Toy vehicles, figures and buildings mentioned as play ideas are not included in the pack.

Four places to discover

The seaside mat invites children to imagine a day out. They might plan how their characters travel there, describe what they hope to see or act out arriving at their destination. For a group, the scene can become a shared story in which each child adds a different idea. A teacher or parent can ask open questions about the journey and let children lead the conversation.

The airport mat introduces another type of trip. Children could use their own figures and vehicles to imagine going away, meeting someone or returning home. As they move toys across the printed scene, they can tell a story in sequence: getting ready, setting off, arriving and deciding what happens next. A child does not need experience of flying to take part; the airport can be a place for a completely invented adventure.

The village mat gives children a setting for everyday stories. They might decide where people live, which road a vehicle should take or where friends can meet. A familiar scene can help children connect their play with places they recognise, while leaving plenty of space for new characters and events. Change the toys alongside the mat, and the same village can tell a different story each time.

The hospital mat can prompt gentle role play about people travelling to a place where others help them. Children may choose to act out a visit, invent a character’s job or work together on a story about caring for someone. Adults can follow the children’s lead, using the scene to support conversation without assuming a particular experience or outcome.

Together, the seaside, airport, village and hospital make a varied collection for an early years small world area. Offer one mat at a time to focus on a chosen theme, or make several available so children can compare places and connect their stories. The mats do not dictate how the different locations relate to each other. Children can decide whether they belong to one imagined town, separate journeys or four entirely different worlds.

Make space for shared stories.

Small world play gives children opportunities to express ideas through movement and conversation. A child might guide a toy along a printed roadway while explaining where it is going. Another might introduce a new character or suggest a change of plan. Playing together offers chances to listen, take turns, agree on roles and build on what someone else has said.

With each mat measuring 100 × 75 cm, there is room to position toys and follow routes within a defined scene. The format can suit a child exploring independently as well as peers creating a story together, depending on the play pieces and the space available. A practitioner might set out one location with a small selection of suitable resources, then invite children to add their own ideas.

The range of settings can encourage children to notice connections and differences. What might someone take on a trip to the seaside? How could a character get from the village to the hospital? Where might an airport journey begin? These questions can prompt descriptive language, simple planning and imaginative problem solving. Children can point to details in the printed graphics and explain their thinking in words that make sense to them.

Hands-on exploration and early learning

Moving a toy vehicle along a road asks children to guide, turn and position it. Repeating those actions within a story offers an opportunity to practise hand control and hand–eye co-ordination. A child can choose a route, change direction when a new idea arises and place their toys where they want the next part of the story to happen.

The mats can provide a visual prompt for positional words. A child might describe travelling past a building, going around a bend or stopping beside a friend. Retelling the order of a journey can invite words such as first, next and finally. Adults can model vocabulary during play, then give children time to respond and expand on the story in their own way.

For simple early maths activities, children can count the toys they have added, compare the number of vehicles at different locations or decide which of their imagined journeys has more stops. These are optional ideas using separate play resources. The mats themselves provide illustrated places and roads; they are not sold as a counting kit or a set of vehicles.

Practical play mats for early years spaces

Each mat has high-quality printed graphics on a 100% polyester surface. The illustrated buildings and roadways make the different themes easy to recognise and give children visual details to revisit. The carpet-like surface creates a defined place for arranging toys, adding a tactile element as children handle their own play pieces against the mat.

An anti-skid backing is designed to help reduce movement while the mat is in use. Choose a suitable surface, check how the mat sits on it and supervise play according to the children and accessories involved. The backing is a practical feature, though it cannot guarantee that a mat will stay still on every surface.

These medium-sized Hepworth mats are suitable for use with the separately available Hepworth Early Years Play Table. They can also be laid out without the table, giving you options for a small world area in a nursery, classroom or home. The four separate mats make it easy to rotate themes and refresh an activity with a different location.

The pack contains four mats, one each for the seaside, airport, village and hospital, and each measures 100 × 75 cm. They are printed to order; please allow up to three weeks for delivery when planning a classroom topic, a new play area, or a specific date.

Hepworth Town & Country Play Mats Pk 4 features and benefits

• Four distinct locations: The pack includes seaside, airport, village and hospital mats. Each setting offers a different starting point for a story, allowing children to choose a familiar place or imagine a journey somewhere new.

• Illustrated roads and buildings: The printed details give children routes to follow and places to name. They can describe where their toys are going, explain a change of direction or use a building as the focus of their next scene.

• Generous 100 × 75 cm size: Each mat provides a defined area for positioning children’s own figures and vehicles. The dimensions can accommodate individual play or a shared story, depending on the number and size of accessories used.

• High-quality printed graphics: Clear themed imagery helps children identify each setting at a glance. It also provides details for adults to point to when inviting conversation, observation and new vocabulary.

• 100% polyester surface: The mat provides a tactile base for small world resources. Children can place, move and rearrange their own toys as they develop an idea, connecting the pictured environment with hands-on play.

• Anti-skid backing: Designed to help limit movement during play, the backing is useful when children reach across a scene or guide toys along its roads. Check that each mat sits appropriately on the surface you choose.

• Opportunities for group play: Peers can decide who their characters are, agree on destinations and take turns contributing events to a shared story. The mats provide a common setting while leaving the story in children’s hands.

• Language and storytelling prompts: A visit to the seaside, a village errand or an airport journey can all inspire children to describe places and sequence events. Open questions can encourage them to explain their ideas in their own words.

• Flexible early learning activities: Add your own suitable toys to explore positional language, count stops on a journey or compare different locations. These are optional ways to use the scenes; additional toys are not included.

• Use with or without a play table: The mats are compatible with the separately available Hepworth Play Table and can also be used independently on a suitable surface. Rotate the four themes to give the play area a fresh focus.

• Printed to order: Allow up to three weeks for delivery. Consider the lead time if you need the mats for a planned lesson, classroom topic or event.