Children living in institutional care settings are often filled with complex feelings about home. An orphanage is a very unusual kind of "home", and some institutionalized children also face additional, complex issues such as adoption transitions, disrupted placements, or separation from parents due to imprisonment, mental illness or loss. For them, "home" is a confusing concept that can bring up many conflicting emotions. What is home? Where do I belong?
To help children identify and process their feelings, we designed a series of role play activities using the Conceptual PlayWorld* model. This approach allows strong emotions to be explored safely in an imaginary world, with trusted adults joining in to keep the play positive and supportive.
We recently held a weeklong session for a group of selected children in a partner orphanage who have been facing many of these concerns. In our activity, the children stepped into the story world of Charlotte’s Web (book by E. B. White), took on the roles of farm animals, and extended the story beyond the book. By solving problems together in this make-believe setting, they began to discover the many meanings of "home".
On the first day, the children became farm animals living on the Old Barn Farm, and they welcomed a weeping baby Wilbur (played by a teacher) who just arrived. As he had never lived on a farm before, Wilbur was scared and hesitant. With help from the farmer (another teacher) and the animals, he calmed down enough to start wondering what makes a place feel like "home". To answer, the animals created their own “homes” with craft materials, showing what home meant to them.
During the second session, the concept of home went beyond the physical structure and focused on relationship and connections. At night, Wilbur often felt too sad and scared to sleep. Together, we discussed what could bring warm and comforting feelings of a home and brainstormed ways to help Wilbur feel more at home on the farm.
In the third session, the children explored how homes can change. A little robin arrived with news of a new farm across the mountain, inviting the animals to visit. Each animal chose whether to stay, go for a short visit, or even move. They packed what mattered most—both objects and memories. Because this was imaginary play, the children could think about change safely and playfully.
The final session ended with a joyful reunion and feast. Animals who had traveled shared their experiences, while those who stayed told of fun at home. Together they decided whether to travel again, realizing that home may take different forms but is always about protection, companionship, and belonging.
This brief week-long activity may not have provided all the answers, but it offered a beginning, and the reassurance that wherever they are, someone will be weaving a web by their side, offering care and a sense of home.
*Fleer, M. (2018). Conceptual PlayWorlds: the role of imagination in play and learning. Early Years. DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2018.1549024
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