pop up play village in and around cleethorpes
Our aim is to provide a safe and inviting space in which children and their
parents can unleash their creativity and let their imaginations go wild. Pop Up
Play village is made up of role play areas. We’d call these sets or scenes if we
worked in the glamorous worlds of TV or theatre – but sadly we don’t! We have a
hospital, vets, baby nursery, supermarket, café, construction site, library,
baby play area, art studio and outdoor explorer zone. Each one filled with high
quality toys, props and dressing up kits – specially sourced and impeccably
clean. What Makes Us Different? We’re often asked whether we’re a playgroup or a
drop in toddler play session. Yes, we have toys to play with, things to dress up
in and caffeine on tap but our village is about much more than that… Our play
sessions have been specially designed by an expert in early years education to
help children learn and develop through play. Each of our areas provides them
with the tools to develop socially and learn more about themselves, their peers
and the world we live in. And whilst this is about education and development,
our key priority is having fun. That means fun for everyone. There are no adult
wallflowers here. Parents and carers are welcomed into our village and actively
encouraged to lose their inhibitions and play together with their children in a
way that’s often just not possible at home. And whilst we love our village and
all the characters who live in it, we realise it’s good to shake things up a bit
from time to time. That’s why we often invite guests to play – dinosaurs,
pirates, mermaids, unicorns and dragons – to name a few. We also mark events and
the seasons as we pass through the year. Laying The Foundations It was back in
2007 when I started teaching my first ever class that the first foundations of
the Play Village were laid. Watching the children in my reception class acting
out real-life scenarios in the role play corner, I realised the true value of
learning through play. I’d always worked hard to create engaging and realistic
areas in which the children could let their imaginations run free. I absolutely
loved teaching and gained six fantastic years of experience before having my
first child. When my son was 2, I found at weekends it was really hard to find
fun, exciting places to take him. It was on one cold, dreary Sunday afternoon in
February that the idea of running pop up role play events came into my head
along with the name Pop Up Play Village! I thought about it for many months
after this vision and it wasn’t until after my daughter was born in June 2016
that I decided it was time to go for it by opening up the world of mobile role
play to children and their parents in my local area. Of course, Pop Up Play
Village didn’t pop up overnight and as with any build, a great deal of research
and testing came before. I wanted every element of the village to be the best it
could possibly be and so sourcing the right toys and props took time. Safety,
durability and play-ability were key and thankfully, as well as many years of
teaching experience behind me, I had two excellent testers in the shape of my
children – who were inspiration and guinea pig in equal measure! The doors
finally opened on Pop Up Play Village in 2017 and we’re proud to say we’ve
undergone huge expansion since. We’re now popping up all over Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. We run sessions for families and
schools, entertain children at weddings and events and host their birthday
parties. We’ve already been accredited by the Approved Franchise Association and
also have the support of two major high street banks – Lloyds and NatWest. But
we’re not sitting back. We’ve got ambitious plans and there’s plenty more to be
done if we are to bring the Pop Up Play Village experience to many more families
across the country and beyond.
