An A to Z of enhancements: S is sharing spaces

Spaces specifically designed to encourage children to share experiences together can be added to the environment. Through these ‘sharing spaces’ children can develop in all areas of learning but especially in Communication and Language and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

Sharing spaces that have seating arranged in a circular shape, or a semi-circle, can encourage children to communicate with each other and look at each other’s facial expressions. It is a good idea to get down to a child’s level when arranging a sharing space and think about what they see and can access in the area. Think about what enhancements could be added to encourage meaningful exchanges between the children in the setting.

COSY READING

In our nursery, we encourage reading everywhere rather than having one specific ‘reading area’. We achieve this by placing books around the room that link to various areas and resources, as well as a large selection of books by our comfy sofa in the home corner.

In addition to this, spaces that encourage sharing books together enhance our indoor and outdoor area on a regular basis. These can be in the form of dens or book-sharing hubs; for example, we put one around a small piece of wall in the classroom. I put up some book-themed wallpaper to give a special feel to the space and to give a clear suggestion that reading could happen in the area.

Four chairs were placed in a semi-circle and a faux fur rug was put on the floor to add a cosy element and an option to sit on the floor as well as the chairs. A selection of books was added to a little cable reel table which we covered with a piece of fabric as a tablecloth. A small light-up tree ornament was placed on the table and a few house plants were added to the sharing space to help create an inviting yet calming atmosphere.

It has been a very popular addition and although sometimes children choose to sit and read a book there by themselves, more often they sit with a group of friends and share their books. Children can be seen showing a friend an interesting photo in an information book, having a giggle about a part of their book they find funny, and retelling familiar stories with the help of the illustrations.

PRETEND PLAY

Spaces which encourage pretend play that involves sharing food and drink can be a popular choice as it is so relatable to their daily lives. We have a table in our home corner and mud kitchen as part of our continuous provision, but enhancements linked to sharing food and drink are added too. This might be in the form of a picnic set up with a blanket and picnic basket. Or we might set up a table next to a tray of flour, rice or pasta, where we have witnessed children not only pretending to share food in a home but also run a café!

Outside we have sometimes set up a tea party in the playhouse or we have used the den-building frames to create a sharing space with a camo net over the top, tree stump seating, and authentic crockery and tableware. Enhancing the environment with these temporary sharing spaces can give the children new inspiration for role play, different talking points, and additional opportunities for collaborating and communication.

DIY SPACES

Children have been known to make their own sharing spaces. We have sets of hollow blocks indoors and out. Often children will use the blocks to create an enclosed space to share play experiences together. They will sometimes take cushions and put them on the floor, or some carpet tiles that were donated to us. Depending on the direction of their play, they will take items from the continuous provision, such as the baby dolls.

The loose parts have been brought in many times to be things such as ‘pet food’ or ‘treasure’. Last term the children used the space that they made with the blocks as a base for superheroes, and they collected the pegs and pieces of fabric from the stage area to make capes. In response to this, the adults added a tray with the resources to make masks, which the children enthusiastically worked on together. The masks added to their interest in their play in the space that they had created. We told the children that they did not have to tidy up their superhero base and we left it out for several days, which is what we do if engagement in a sharing space they have created is high.