Our nursery has just moved into a new building with a huge open space for children aged rising three and over. The bigger space has the advantage of letting the children move freely between the various areas of provision but discourages them from really exploring at length - I'm thinking of our newly created 'science' area and woodwork bench. How can these be partitioned to avoid distractions and allow the children to settle and engage in their explorations?
Space is always an issue in early years settings. Some of us don't have enough and yet having too much can be just as much of a problem. Young children can feel overwhelmed and unsettled in a large area and if it seems large to us, imagine how it must feel to a small person. What we need to aim for is to maximise the value of the large area and the opportunities it promotes while creating that sense of emotional containment and security that comes when we create smaller spaces within the large one.
ON THE MOVE
There are lots of ways of partitioning off areas and it makes sense to use partitions that incorporate storage too. Shelves are extremely useful and can help demarcate an area by the equipment and resources they contain. Make sure they are on wheels to allow flexibility. Sometimes, you might need to increase the amount of space in an area temporarily to accommodate more children or to develop or extend an activity. Moveable partitions allow you to adapt the space and move things around depending on the needs and interests of the group of children you have currently.
Moving things around to create interesting new spaces and fresh ideas can be motivating for everyone. But remember that some children may be disconcerted by too much change. They may rely on knowing exactly where everything is and may be unsettled if the furniture keeps moving. Children with visual impairments in particular will depend on having a secure knowledge of the layout and the pathways, as will children with some physical difficulties.
The best thing to do is to involve all the children in your plans. Ask them which spaces work for them and what changes they might like to try. With flexible partitioning and easy-to-move furniture, you can experiment, knowing that the children understand the reasons for change. Even very young children will have firm opinions about the space and their drawings and discussions will tell you a lot about their perceptions of the environment.
DISCRETE AREAS
Having discrete and partitioned areas for certain activities can help to reduce distractions and to safeguard the children's creations or work in progress. Block play, home corner, sand and water, role play, book corners and so on all benefit from having a distinct space that clearly tells everyone what goes on there.
Not that role play, reading or transporting sand and water won't spring up in other areas too, but these are the spaces where you'll find the resources for those activities. They will also allow a child to concentrate and focus as there will be fewer distractions in sight.
Some children will flit around and appear to be failing to develop concentration or the ability to 'stick' at something. Your observations will tell you a lot about the child who moves from place to place dipping in and out of activities. Don't be too quick to assume this is a lack of concentration, though.
Some children may need to 'taste' everything before deciding where to spend their time. Some may have an emotional need to be hypervigilant about their surroundings. These children may not be comfortable in secluded corners, where they can't see everything - and particularly where they can't see their key person. Keep this in mind when creating partitioned spaces.
On the other hand, there will be children who find the seclusion and containment of a nook or corner comforting. They are probably the children who will create these spaces for themselves if they don't exist - a den under a table or a barricade of cushions, a house made out of blocks in which they can sit and look out from.
An open-ended environment with flexible fittings allows you to take all children into consideration and adapt your space to their differing needs. Make the most of the walls and corner spaces in your room and include rugs to mark out floor spaces and provide that sense of containment.
ADULT ROLE
If you have specific areas for activities such as a woodwork bench and other science and design technology activities, make sure that all the tools are readily accessible. A silhouette board is useful for woodworking tools as it is easy to see what might have gone missing at the end of the day. Model for the children how important it is to check and replace tools.
Make sure a woodwork area has enough space to incorporate adults who may need to supervise, role model or provide technical support. If you have children who find it hard to settle in these areas, go and play in there yourself - the reassuring presence of an adult playing alongside will encourage children to stay and persevere with tasks that they previously might not have tackled.
If you have a large space, make the most of the opportunity to create an indoor physical movement area. Use mats and make sure the area is partitioned off and not used for other activities. Give children responsibility for the area and they will self-regulate and use it sensibly.
Once again, getting involved yourself is the key message. Think about how you are 'present' when you choose to become involved with an activity. Are you there to check up, pass a comment and then move on?
Even if you are only there for a short while, being fully present involves listening and watching before talking so that you can connect with the children's ideas. It also involves engaging with the activity on your own level as well as the children's. Starting and finishing a task of your own models perseverance for them and reassures them the activity is worth spending time on and exploring at length.
REFERENCES
- Constructivist Approach to Block Play in Early Childhood by Karyn Wellhousen and Judith E Kieff, Thomson Learning (2001)
- Exploring Learning - Young Children and Blockplay edited by Pat Gura with the Froebel Blockplay Research Group, Paul Chapman Publishing (1992)
- Extending Thought in Young Children by Chris Athey, Paul Chapman Publishing (1990)
COMMUNITY PLAYTHINGS
TOP DIVISION
A wide variety of shelves, gates, arches, display units and panels (from just £60) are available from Community Playthings to help you divide up your nursery and create flexible spaces that meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in your care.
The interlocking pieces are easy to assemble and to rearrange as your needs change.
If you're stuck for ideas, then browse the gallery of 'Roomscapes'. Check out too the advice on how to pick partitions best suited to the space available and age range of the children.
This feature is sponsored by Community Playthings - www.communityplaythings.co.uk.
