The more you learn about the world, the richer and more meaningful and engaging your play becomes. There is so much you can learn about pigs.

Some facts about pigs

Contrary to stereotypes, pigs are clean and smart animals who love playing and exploring. If you want to be a good farmer, you need to provide them with a lot of space to run (they can run very fast) and a pond to bathe and even swim in (they prefer water to mud to keep themselves cool). Just like children, piglets need toys and a rich environment. 

Pigs do not eat like pigs. They like eating slowly and savouring their food, Then they love “talking” to one another. They can easily be trained, so some people keep them as pets.

Reading and story telling can enrich play

There are many stories about pigs. Here are the three we believe have withstood the test of time:

1. The Three Little Pigs – a very old tale, known in many parts of the world. It has been published in many versions, illustrated in a variety of ways. It can be retold even by quite young children as it is easily remembered. It easily turns into a play scenario that children adore and use over and over.
2. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White – a short novel written in the mid 20th century. It  is enjoyed by both children and adults. 
3. Babe, the Gallant Pig (also known as The Sheep-Pig) by Dick King-Smith. It seems to us that the filmed version is even more popular.

Play could be immensely enriched through reading fictional stories as well as scientific books. In turn, knowledge of the world could be consolidated, and  speech, problem solving and many other skills could be honed through play.

The most important about play 

What we believe is the most important about play though is that it is enjoyable in its own right, and it is what children should be engaged with – this is their main “job”. They do not need electronic toys to save themselves from boredom as they have the natural capacity to create their own meaningful activities. Sometimes some children might need help to get started, but this does not mean that parents should play with their children all the time. Follow our blog to learn more about play, one of the topics we explore deep and wide. 

Make sure you read our rich and long resource on play with animal toys. It is a great general introduction to play with toy animals – how it can be beneficial and how it can be enriched.

Some toys you can use

Our wooden toy piglet is a realistic yet artistic figurine made of sturdy beech wood, colored with water-based paint which lets the wood pattern be seen. It is a natural match to our adult pig figurine, and it could also be a companion to many other toys we offer in our farm animal collection. We even have a border collie dog, in case your children want to include scenarios from “Babe” in their play.