Nursery World - Enabling Environments: Collections

Self-care is an essential life skill, but it can also help children
grow in confidence. Nicole Weinstein suggests some supporting
resources.

Physical Development -health and self-care: children manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including washing and dressing.

Learning to become more independent in dressing and washing is an important skill for children in the early years. Not only should nursery settings provide accessible storage for coats and outside gear to support their growing independence in this area, but they should also offer opportunities in the home corner where children can explore concepts about health and self-care in their own time.

Practitioners should provide plenty of dressing-up clothes with simple fastenings, clothes to dress dolls and teddies and a selection of different-sized shoes, as well as engage in conversations about the importance of basic hygiene, like washing hands after being outside.

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