Fairy homes and secret gardens

Fairies and secret gardens are magic! There’s magic in the very idea that fairies might be living at your place! Your child’s imagination can come to life as they build a special home for the fairies. They will also develop care and empathy as they create a home for someone else.

 What do I need?

• Items found in your backyard or collected on a walk – leaves, bark, sticks, stones, flowers, fern leaves, moss…
• A basket or other container for collecting the items.

 How do I do it?

1. Talk to your child about fairies. Show them pictures of fairy homes in books or online. (Search tip: try ‘natural fairy house’.)
2. Ask them if they would like to create a home for the fairies.
3. Together, take a basket and collect some natural and interesting items from your garden or neighbourhood.
4. The next part is very important. Ask your child where they think fairies might like to live at their place. Choose a special, secret space.
5. Together, and taking the lead from your child, build your fairy home. As you build, chat about the things it might need – a door, a path, decorations.
6. Your child might like to continue to play with their fairy home after it has been built. They might like to make their own fairy or bring small dolls to live or play there.

You can keep the magic alive by leaving things from the fairies for your child to find, such as a letter, or a special magical item like a tiny star or crystal.

No-one knows your child better than you.  So, choose and/or adapt ideas here to best suit you and your child. Remember it’s the talking and time spent together that matters most.