What is Little Magic Train?
Little Magic Train is an inclusive, multisensory approach to learning that brings together music, movement, imaginative role play, storytelling, and sensory exploration.
Children step aboard the Little Magic Train and journey into imaginary worlds where they can move, communicate, explore, investigate, create and learn through play.
Each adventure provides a starting point, with flexible resources and provocations that allow practitioners to extend the learning according to the interests, abilities and needs of the children in front of them.
Who is Little Magic Train for?
Little Magic Train supports children in Early Years and those transitioning into KS1, including children who are neurodivergent and those with SEND (ALN), EAL and PMLD.
Its multisensory approach creates different ways into learning, enabling children to participate and engage in ways that work for them.
Who delivers Little Magic Train?
You do!
Little Magic Train is designed to be delivered by educators and practitioners within their own setting.
Your subscription includes introductory training and ongoing support to help you and your team feel confident using the adventures and adapting the experiences for your children.
How do the adventures work?
Every adventure begins and ends aboard the Little Magic Train, creating a familiar and predictable structure that helps children know when their adventure is beginning and when it is coming to an end.
Between those two train journeys, the adventure develops through story, music, movement, role play, sensory exploration and creative experiences.
The adventures are built through repetition, with new experiences, and vocabulary gradually introduced. As children become familiar and confident, they contribute their own ideas, make choices and increasingly take the play and learning in their own direction.
What is holistic learning?
Holistic learning supports the whole child, recognising that physical, emotional, social, cognitive, communication and creative development are interconnected.
Rather than treating areas of learning as separate, Little Magic Train brings them together through meaningful experiences.
As children move, imagine, explore, and play together, they may be developing communication, physical skills, confidence, creativity, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and understanding of the world – often within the same experience.
Children are not simply being told about their learning. They experience it, explore it, imagine it and do it.
What is authentic learning?
Authentic learning gives children opportunities to experience and use their learning in meaningful ways, rather than learning skills or information in isolation.
Through Little Magic Train, children step into imaginary worlds where their learning has a purpose. They might become explorers searching for animals, scientists investigating a mystery, astronauts travelling to the Moon or pirates hunting for treasure.
Within the play, children communicate, make choices, solve problems, explore ideas, use new vocabulary and draw on what they already know.
The experience may be imaginary, but the learning taking place is very real.
Is Little Magic Train inclusive?
Yes. Inclusion is built into the way Little Magic Train works.
Music, movement, sensory experiences, visual cues, repetition, role play and language provide different ways for children to access and participate in the same shared adventure.
This flexibility allows practitioners to adapt experiences for the children in front of them, including children who are neurodivergent and those with SEND (ALN), EAL and PMLD.
Little Magic Train resources have also received STAR Endorsement from Montessori Global Education.
How does Little Magic Train support the curriculum?
Little Magic Train complements the curriculum rather than adding another subject to an already busy day.
Through active, playful experiences, children have opportunities to develop communication and language, physical development, personal and social skills, literacy, early mathematics, understanding of the world, creativity and expressive arts.
For settings in England, the adventures can support learning across the EYFS. In Wales, Little Magic Train complements the holistic, learner-centred approach of the Curriculum for Wales, including opportunities for belonging, communication, exploration, physical development and well-being.
The resources are flexible, allowing practitioners to make connections with their own curriculum, children’s interests and learning priorities.
Do I have to use all the resources?
No, and we don’t expect you to.
Every group of children is different. The adventure gives you the starting point and the Resource Library provides different ways to extend it.
Choose the experiences that work for your children, repeat the things they love, and follow their curiosity. You can adapt, extend or simplify experiences according to the age, stage, interests and needs of the children in front of you.
Start with the adventure and see where it takes you.
What training and support is included?
Every Little Magic Train subscription includes introductory training to help you get started, together with ongoing practitioner support.
You’ll also have access to regular live virtual support clinics where you can ask questions, share experiences, explore ideas or simply refresh your confidence.
For settings wanting additional support, bespoke online or in-person training can also be arranged.