Some toys invite children to follow instructions. Others invite them to imagine whole worlds.
The Little Garden Designer is firmly in the second camp. Inspired by all sorts of gardens, from wildlife-filled havens to formal outdoor spaces, this open-ended wooden playset allows children to design and redesign their own landscapes again and again.
With 64 solid wooden pieces, including trees, vegetable patches, ponds and pathways, anything is possible.
This kind of free play is exactly what makes wooden toys for 3–6 year olds so powerful. At this age, children love to line up, stack, sort, build stories and create scenes. The Little Garden Designer adapts beautifully to all of it, whether they’re creating a perfectly symmetrical formal garden or a messy, wildlife-friendly, flower-filled paradise.
Eight Ways to Play with the Little Garden Designer Playset
There is an obvious way to play with this set: tip out the pieces, then arrange and rearrange them into the garden of your dreams. But why do things the obvious way?
Here are some playful ideas to spark new ways of using this imaginative toy.
1. Level up
Make a garden on two levels by building part of the design on top of the upturned box.
2. Let’s farm
Create a farmer’s field filled with crops and play alongside farmyard toys, barns, animals and vehicles.
3. Perfect patterns
Use the solid wooden pieces to build patterns. Can you make a symmetrical design?
4. Grand designs
Place the garden next to a dollhouse to create a beautiful outdoor space for dolls to explore.
5. The tallest tower
What’s the tallest tower you can build with the pieces? Can you balance a baby bunny on top? Careful, it might wobble and fall.
6. Go wild
Add extra wooden trees and animals such as wild birds, squirrels and hedgehogs to create a woodland scene. Include real twigs, leaves, daisies and dandelions to make it feel truly ruled by nature.
7. Water features
Use playsilks or shiny tin foil to create streams, lakes or even a swimming pool for your garden.
8. Snip and stick
Print, cut and pin a beautiful windmill that really spins, then add it to your garden.
Find all the instructions on the Wonderful Windmills printable here.
Feeling inspired? You might also enjoy reading about how Noah and his mummy played with the Little Garden Designer set here.
Noah built a long path from his Threadbear Barnyard all the way to the cabbage patch, ready for his animals to follow when they got hungry.
A Wooden Toy That Grows With Your Child
What makes the Little Garden Designer so special is its ability to grow alongside the child using it.
One day it’s about lining up paths and stacking shapes. The next, it becomes a story about rabbits hiding in hedges, or track-side allotments waiting as a train set whizzes past on its way out of the city.
This flexibility is what makes wooden toys for 3–6 year olds such a worthwhile investment. Rather than being played once and set aside, the Little Garden Designer stays relevant, adapting to new ideas, new skills and new stories as children grow.
Little Garden Designer FAQs
What age is the Little Garden Designer suitable for?
The Little Garden Designer is designed for children aged 3–6, but older children can also enjoy creating more complex layouts. Younger children explore simple construction, while older children develop balance, design and storytelling skills.
Is the Little Garden Designer an open-ended toy?
Yes. There is no single “right” outcome. Children are free to build, redesign and imagine in their own way, encouraging creativity, problem-solving and independent play.
What skills does the Little Garden Designer support?
It supports imaginative play, fine motor skills, spatial awareness, problem-solving and creativity. Using the pieces in different ways also helps develop hand-eye coordination and storytelling abilities.
Can the Little Garden Designer be combined with other toys?
Absolutely. It works beautifully with dollhouses, farm sets, train sets and wooden animals, allowing children to integrate it into larger imaginative worlds.
How do you store the Little Garden Designer?
The set comes in a beautifully made plywood box with a sliding lid, keeping all 64 pieces organised and ready for play.