About Pop Up Play Village & Founder Becky Hoare
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”
Albert Einstein
At Pop Up Play Village, we believe play is one of the most powerful tools children have to explore the world, express emotions and build confidence.
We create immersive role play environments that support children’s social, emotional and developmental needs, helping them learn through meaningful, child led play. Our aim is simple, to provide safe, inspiring spaces where children and adults can play together, connect and thrive.
Our Role Play Village
Pop Up Play Village is made up of carefully designed real world role play environments that children instantly recognise and feel confident exploring. These include a hospital, vets, baby nursery, supermarket to name a few.
Each play area is filled with high quality, open ended resources, props and dressing up materials that encourage imagination, communication and collaborative play. Our open plan village design allows children to move freely between areas, make connections in their play and follow their own interests supporting deep, purposeful learning.
What Makes Us Different?
We’re often asked whether Pop Up Play Village is a playgroup or a drop in toddler session. While play is always joyful, our approach is rooted in education and child development.
Pop Up Play Village has been designed by an experienced early years teacher, with a clear understanding of how children learn best through play. Our environments intentionally support language development, social skills, emotional expression and real world understanding, all while keeping fun at the heart of everything we do.
Parents and carers are welcomed into the village and actively encouraged to join in, strengthening attachment, confidence and connection through shared play experiences.
We also adapt our villages throughout the year, reflecting seasons, events and children’s interests, ensuring each visit feels fresh, relevant and exciting.
Our Work in Schools
Pop Up Play Village works extensively with schools and early years settings across the UK, delivering bespoke role play experiences that support both learning and wellbeing.
Our school visits align with the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 curriculum, using role play to enhance communication, literacy, maths, personal development and understanding of the world. Each visit is tailored to the specific needs of the children and can be linked directly to classroom topics or themes.
In response to the growing need to support children’s emotional wellbeing, we have developed dedicated wellbeing planning, informed by play therapy techniques. This planning supports children to explore emotions safely, rehearse real life experiences, regulate feelings and develop self-esteem through structured, child led role play.
To ensure long term impact and to reach more schools and children across the UK, we also offer a Pop Up Play Village School Licensing package, enabling schools to embed high quality role play into everyday practice. Our School Licence package includes role play resources, detailed curriculum and wellbeing planning, staff training and ongoing support, empowering schools to confidently use play as a meaningful and sustainable part of their provision.
Laying The Foundations
The foundations of Pop Up Play Village were laid in 2007, when founder Becky began teaching her first reception class. Observing children act out real life scenarios in the role play corner highlighted the powerful role imaginative play plays in learning, language and emotional development.
After eight years of teaching, and following the birth of her own children, Becky found it difficult to find purposeful, engaging play experiences for families especially at weekends. In 2016, the idea of a mobile role play village was born.
Every element of Pop Up Play Village was researched, tested and refined, with safety, durability and play at its core. Becky’s own children played a key role in shaping and testing the early ideas.
Pop Up Play Village officially launched in January 2017 and has since grown into a nationwide franchise, delivering role play sessions for families, schools, events and parties across multiple regions.
Beyond the Village
Becky Hoare is a qualified primary school teacher, author and children’s role play specialist with over 18 years’ experience in education. She is the founder and creator of Pop Up Play Village and has spent over a decade developing child led role play experiences that support children’s learning, communication, confidence and emotional wellbeing.
Drawing on her experience as a primary school teacher, parent and role play specialist, Becky is passionate about championing the importance of purposeful, child led play. Her work includes developing role play experiences and educational planning for Early Years, KS1 and KS2, supporting schools and early years settings, and sharing her knowledge of how role play can be used to support both learning and children’s wellbeing.
Becky is also the author of Playing It Out: The Power of Role Play for Children’s Mental Health. The book brings together her professional experience, parenting journey and the philosophy behind Pop Up Play Village. It explores how role play can help children express emotions, build confidence and make sense of their experiences, alongside practical activities that families and educators can use with children.
Here’s the link to take a look at the book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GKY7XQGG/