Welcome to the first review of our new series, 'Parent's eye'. This regular feature, written by the wonderful mums and dads of Surrey & SW London, will consist of a series of reviews and advice on where to take your little ones. Laura Dukes has the inside scoop on Little Street, a tiny model village aimed at toddlers.
As a mum of three children under five years old, I am always on the look out for fun and engaging places to take them. I was keen to try out Little Street with my pre-schooler as it describes itself as a unique role-play centre that offers a high quality experience.
Little Street is exactly as it sounds, a scaled down version of a typical village including a supermarket, construction site, cafe, theatre, beauty salon, fire service and medical centre. Everything is designed to a child’s scale and allows them to explore everyday life on their own terms. It immediately feels fun, inspiring and safe. My three year old generally takes some time to settle into new play areas, but as soon as we arrived at Little Street he could not wait to remove his shoes and get involved. He headed straight to the miniature fire engine in the heart of the village, climbed on board and let his imagination do the rest.
The most popular area on our visit was the mini supermarket – children pushed and filled tiny trollies with an assortment of goods whilst others were busy operating tills. One thing that stands out at Little Street is the quality and variety of toys and props, JCBs were being used to build brick walls, a variety of plastic sandwiches were being served, not to mention the odd rock star performing on stage.
Amongst the fun there are subtle learning opportunities, designed with input from Early Years Practitioners, for example, my son enjoyed playing ‘postman’ and working out which colour letter should be posted in which colour post box. It would be useful if parents were made more aware of these learning opportunities, as they can be easily missed.
I was very impressed with how Little Street is operated; visitor numbers are limited to 60 (including adults and children), which is well under capacity so it doesn’t feel chaotic or overwhelming for the little ones. It’s a relatively small, contained space and as it operates closed sessions there is no worry in letting small children wander independently. As we played, the staff were busy in the background tidying up props, toys and costumes so each child could experience every role-play scenario. In fact, after each 90 minute session the whole street is reset and cleaned so it never feels like a jumble sale. It is possibly the cleanest and most organised play centre I have been to.
Little Street is open 7 days a week and offers 4 sessions a day. Sessions can be pre-booked which is worthwhile given there are limited places but note tickets are non-refundable. Little Street is designed for children from walking to 7 years old, it was perfect for my three year old and I can see how it would appeal to young school age children, particularly if the enjoyed role-play. There is a very small soft area for babies, which could benefit with a selection of toys and bouncy chairs.
Drinks & snacks are available to buy, there isn’t a café as such but there is a reception area where adults can sit. Little Street is next to Frimley Train Station so parking is relatively easy too.
The 90 minutes went by very quickly, my son thoroughly enjoyed his visit and it was a pleasure to watch him roam independently around this pretty little make-believe street. Little Street is well worth a visit and I’m sure we’ll be back.
Pricing (Off Peak/Peak):
Babies/Pre-walkers: FREE*
Child (Includes free entry for 1 adult) – £5.75 / £6.25
Additional Adult – £3.50 / £3.75
For more information and to book online, you can visit the Little Street website here
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Little Street Frimley
Little Street Limited Station Approach, Frimley, GU16 7QH
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