Does it ever seem to you that the world is getting smaller? Places that are thousands of miles apart are nearer because of air travel. Our cars are getting smaller because they need to be more energy efficient. Computers and mobile phones are getting smaller because the microchips on which they are based are ever smaller. Our houses are smaller in the UK because of our limited space and the need to fit more into a tiny island. This seems to be a trend set to continue.

Many people with families are constrained by a fairly small dwelling space, whether it might be a house or a flat. When rooms are small there is not as much space as one would like for children to play in, or storage space for their toys. Many new homes are being built now with no built-in wardrobes or cupboards in order to make the rooms look as large as possible.

With this situation in mind it is essential for parents to give some thought to the toys they are able to provide for their children. It is not practicable for a whole room to be given over to a large fixed model railway set for example. Toys need to be in the main, fairly small and easy to pack away after a play session so that a room can take on its other function as dining room or lounge.

Some might say that computer games take up the least space of all, just a slice of your hard disk, but these don't really qualify as toys in the traditional sense of things that children can get their hands on and physically manipulate, which is what they need.

Kids don't necessarily need a whole lot of toys to have fun, but they need toys that they can interact with.. Activity toys like paints and crayons, jigsaws, puppets, and board games are other examples of toys that are valuable but don't take up too much space.

Children need toys that can stimulate their imagination and creativity. Toys that are scaled down versions of things or people in the real world are ideal. Dolls that little girls can dress up, or come with their own set of vanity accessories like mirror, brush, and comb are ideal in this respect., Also, models of cars, aeroplanes, soldiers, tanks, and animals, are all toys that can absorb a child, yet do not need to take up too much space.

When it comes to models and figurines there are a number of manufacturers across the world which uphold traditional values of quality and produce ranges of action figures and models of animals that children love to play with. One such company, for example, is called Schleich, and they produce several ranges of different types of models to suit different interests. There is a very popular range of dinosaurs which are impressive miniatures in all their glory. Dinosaurs are a source of wonder and curiosity for many children, and learning about them introduces them to the theory of evolution.

There are also Schleich models to represent the life and history of the American Indian which is another worthwhile educational topic. There is another range of figures dedicated to the world of medieval knights featuring battle ready figures in full armour on horseback, courtiers, knaves, and all the accoutrement's including a castle.

For girls there is a range of horses plus a stable, and various horse-riding figures. There is also a range of very attractive mythical beings such as princesses, unicorns, elves and the like, all incredibly detailed, and hand-painted.

All these toys are robustly made and are easy to sweep aside when necessary, to be conveniently stored out of the way. These small toys will fit into boxes or plastic crates that can then be stacked in a corner or put on to shelves in a child's bedroom.

A child can begin to explore the whole world through these kinds of models which accurately reflect the real thing. Just because toys, such as from Schleich, are small that doesn't make them any the less interesting. Maybe that's true of the world also.

<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy">