In childminding settings, children often learn across a wide age range, with different interests, developmental stages and levels of confidence. Creating shared experiences that engage younger and older children together all while supporting physical movement, communication, social skills and curiosity, can be a challenge.

At Munchkinos Childminding, Little Magic Train became part of their weekly routine in 2021, offering a flexible, multi-sensory way to bring children together through storytelling, movement and imagination.  The team received virtual live online training on how to use the resources and deliver the adventures, followed by additional live online sessions with the children and ongoing weekly support when needed.

Munchkinos Childminding is a childminding setting with access to outdoor space and woodland, supporting a broad age range of children. The setting aimed to run Little Magic Train adventures once a week and extend the learning through linked activities whenever possible.  Claire Nicholls-De Freitas is also the Coram PACEY regional winner for South Wales 2026.

At the time of this study, Munchkinos did not have children with ALN in the setting, but the flexibility of the resources supported children across different ages, stages and interests.

Their Journey

Alongside the Little Magic Train adventures, Munchkinos extended children’s learning into the environment around them. The adventures became a springboard for practical, creative and outdoor experiences that helped children make links between stories, real life and their own play.

For example, after the adventure “Feeding the Ducks”, the children were so enthusiastic that they went outside on their own real-life journey to find live ducks. They researched what ducks could safely eat, made pots of oats to feed them, and then sat by the canal bank to read “The Ugly Duckling” together.  This led to meaningful discussion, with the children deciding that the animals in the story were unkind and agreeing that they would not be mean to the little duckling.

 

Impact on Engagement and Learning

Practitioners observed that Little Magic Train supported children’s engagement across a wide range of learning areas. The adventures encouraged children to move, talk, think, imagine and connect their learning to the world around them.

  • Children became highly engaged in weekly Little Magic Train adventures.
  • Learning continued beyond the session into outdoor exploration and imaginative play.
  • Children made links between stories, real-life experiences and their own ideas.
  • The adventures supported social interaction, discussion and shared decision-making.
  • Themes were extended into healthy eating, hygiene, science and outdoor learning.

One of the strongest examples of engagement came when Munchkinos took Little Magic Train to the North Pole. The setting created a science experiment linked to the adventure: Little Magic Train became frozen in ice, and the children had to find a way to safely thaw him out so he could get back home.  This kind of playful problem-solving supported curiosity, investigation, communication and teamwork – all within an imaginative context that children could understand and enjoy.

 

Observable Progress

In the original feedback, Munchkinos reported improvements across all areas of children’s learning and engagement, with particular strengths in:

  • Children’s physical literacy
  • Children’s social skills and interaction with each other
  • Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world
  • Children’s well-being

Feedback was gathered using a 1-5 scale, where 1 represented no improvement and 5 represented improvement in all children. The chart in the original case study showed strong reported outcomes, particularly for children aged 2 to 3 and children aged 3 and above, across physical movement, communication, social skills, knowledge and understanding, emotional skills and well-being.

 

Whole-Setting Impact

  • Little Magic Train became firmly embedded in their weekly routine.
  • Children used the Little Magic Train independently in imaginative play.
  • The setting extended adventures into outdoor learning, science, stories and healthy habits.
  • Ongoing support helped the team continue to develop ideas and confidence.
  • The approach evolved with the setting and supported flexible, creative delivery.

Practitioner reflection “Children adore our weekly Little Magic Train sessions, and the greatest endorsement is that the children use the Little Magic Train during their imaginative play.”  Children independently included Simon and Little Magic Train in their own stories, using loose parts, climbing frames, sheets and boxes to create adventures of their own.

 

This case study reflects a wider pattern of impact seen across settings that implement Little Magic Train.

For settings accessing EYPP funding, this kind of impact is particularly significant.

  • Little Magic Train supports measurable progress in communication, engagement and participation.
  • It enables inclusive practice, aligns with the Curriculum for Wales priorities around language and interaction, and provides a consistent, evidence-informed approach that can be embedded across the setting.
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