What is the tickit Polar Island play set?

The tickit Polar Island is a 19-piece wooden small world play set made from FSC-certified birch plywood, suitable for children aged 3 years and over. The set includes a wooden Inuit character, an igloo arch, a penguin, a polar bear and cub, a walrus, a seal, an orca and a fish, and can be used as one whole island or split into separate iceberg and underwater play areas.

How it helps

Polar Island gives children a hands-on, open-ended play scene rather than a fixed set of instructions. As children build the arctic scene, place the animals and act out stories, they practise fine motor skills through handling and positioning the pieces, logic and reasoning as they work out how the island fits together, and descriptive language as they talk about the ice, the weather and the sea life. The set is designed to be assembled with or without the fixing screws provided, so children can build, take apart and rebuild the island as part of the play itself.

For schools

• Works well as a shared small world resource for a classroom or SEND base, giving several children a reason to talk, take turns and problem-solve together around one physical scene.
• Fits naturally into Expressive Arts and Design, Communication and Language, Personal Development, Physical Development, and Understanding the World areas of learning.
• Suitable across EYFS and KS1 age groups from age 3 and up, and durable enough for repeated use across a class or setting.
• The assemble and disassemble design gives a graduated approach to challenge, letting staff make the activity simpler or harder depending on a child's needs.

For parents and home use

• Gives children an open-ended play scene at home that does not rely on screens, batteries or a single "right way" to play.
• The mix of building, storytelling and animal play suits children who enjoy hands-on activities and benefit from moving pieces around rather than sitting still.
• Because the island can be split into an iceberg half and an underwater half, it is easy to keep play sessions shorter for younger children or extend them for older ones.
• The FSC-certified birch plywood construction is built to withstand regular family play and being packed away and set up again.

Supporting children with SEND

Small world play sets like Polar Island are commonly used to support children with special educational needs and disabilities because they combine physical handling, sequencing and communication in one low-pressure activity. The option to build the island as a whole scene or as separate iceberg and underwater sections allows adults to adapt the activity to a child's current level, which fits the graduated approach used in SEND provision and can support targets in an EHCP around fine motor skills, communication or collaborative play.

Polar Island is supplied by The Dyslexia Shop, a UK specialist retailer of dyslexia and learning difference resources. Whether you are a parent looking for a screen-free activity that builds real skills, or a school building up a SEND resource area, this set gives children a genuine hands-on task to work through together, at their own pace.

• 19-piece wooden small world play set: includes a wooden Inuit character, igloo arch, penguin, polar bear and cub, walrus, seal, orca and fish, giving a complete arctic scene to build and play with.
• Made from FSC-certified birch plywood, supporting responsible forestry while giving a smooth, durable surface for handling.
• Approximate dimensions: H401mm x diameter 370mm, sized for tabletop or floor-based play.
• Splits into two separate play areas (iceberg and underwater), giving flexibility for shorter or longer play sessions.
• Can be assembled with the fixing screws provided for a secure build, or without them for an interactive building and deconstructing element to play.
• Suitable from 3 years and up, for use at home or in an early years or primary school setting.
• Assembly guide and fixing screws included in the box.

• Builds three skills at once. Fine motor control, logic and descriptive language all come into play as children construct and narrate the arctic scene.
• Adapts to the child. The island can be used whole or split into iceberg and underwater sections, making it easy to adjust for children with SEND or younger learners.
• Built for repeated use. FSC-certified birch plywood construction is designed to be assembled and taken apart again and again, at home or across a school year.
• UK specialist supplier. Supplied by The Dyslexia Shop, a UK retailer focused entirely on dyslexia and learning difference resources.

What's in the Box

• 1 x igloo arch
• 1 x wooden Inuit character
• 1 x penguin
• 1 x polar bear and cub
• 1 x walrus
• 1 x seal
• 1 x orca
• 1 x fish
• 1 x assembly guide
• Fixing screws

Delivery and Returns

Standard UK delivery applies. See our Delivery and Returns page for full details.

• What is the tickit Polar Island play set?
  Polar Island is a 19-piece wooden small world play set made from FSC-certified birch plywood, suitable for children aged 3 and over. It includes an igloo, an Inuit character and arctic animals, and can be split into iceberg and underwater play areas.
• Is Polar Island suitable for children with SEND?
  Yes, Polar Island is well suited to children with SEND because it combines hands-on building, sequencing and storytelling in one flexible activity. The set can be used as a whole island or split into two simpler sections, making it easy for a parent or teacher to adjust the activity to a child's current level.
• Is Polar Island suitable for use in the classroom?
  Yes, Polar Island works well as a shared small world resource in a classroom or SEND base. It supports several areas of learning, including Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal Development, and is durable enough for repeated group use.
• Is Polar Island suitable for home use?
  Yes, Polar Island is designed for home play as well as school use. It gives children a screen-free, open-ended activity that can be built, taken apart and rebuilt as many times as they like.
• What age range is Polar Island suitable for?
  Polar Island is suitable from 3 years and up. Its mix of building and imaginative play suits early years children through to early primary school age.
• What skills does Polar Island help develop?
  Polar Island helps develop fine motor skills, logic and reasoning, and descriptive language. Children build these skills through handling the pieces, working out how the island fits together, and talking about the arctic scene as they play.
• Does Polar Island need to be assembled with screws?
  No, Polar Island can be built with the fixing screws provided for a secure structure, or without them so children can freely build and take the island apart as part of the play itself.
• Can Polar Island be split into smaller play areas?
  Yes, the set can be used as one complete island or divided into a separate iceberg area and underwater area, which is useful for shorter play sessions or younger children.