Overflowing crates, stuffed shelves and piles of toys, equipment and random stuff were banished last year as nurseries risk-assessed their resources and drew up even more rigorous cleaning rotas in an attempt to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
Government guidelines on reopening settings during the pandemic led to lots of clutter that had accumulated in some nurseries being cleared away, and actually highlighted the problem of providing too much at any one time. Rather than resulting in boredom, practitioners found that children were more engaged and stimulated when they were faced with less.
Ofsted reported that, ‘Some providers told us that the restrictions have had some positive consequences. They said that, because they could not provide all the usual activities and experiences, they were thinking carefully about what they wanted the children to learn. Some people told us that the limited offer of toys was resulting in children getting more out of each activity.’
MESSY PROBLEMS
Holli Williams, head of schools at Linden Tree Nursery Schools in south London, says children become more distracted and less likely to engage in an activity fully if they are presented with a large number of resources. ‘Once more resources are out, this causes more mess and the practitioners also become overwhelmed,’ she says.
‘Clutter for both staff and children causes general disorganisation. If the staff don’t know where things need to go, how can they encourage the children to do the same? The shelves, both at adult height and child height, need to be kept clear and tidy – particularly with the more rigorous cleaning routines we are needing to adopt at this time.’
As Ms Williams highlights, having an overwhelming amount of resources tends to lead to a chaotic environment. Tina Bruce, honorary professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Roehampton, says children do not develop and learn as much as they can in a cluttered setting, compared with one that is ‘sufficiently predictable’. Having an ordered, uncluttered environment can also help children to feel nurtured, which supports their positive well-being.
Prof Bruce uses the analogy of a supermarket and not being able to find an item in its usual aisle. ‘Adults find that very annoying and it can be equally frustrating for children,’ she says. ‘But we don’t want everything to be totally predictable, because children also need lovely surprises.’
Along with a cluttered environment being ‘overwhelming’ and ‘visually distracting’ for young children, early years expert Penny Tassoni says it also has an impact on staff time because they find themselves constantly tidying up as toys get strewn around, and children do not learn the self-regulation of tidying away.
‘Some people think it will enhance children’s education when you have got a lot of everything, but I think you need sufficient resources, rather than high quantities,’ she says. ‘Less is more – children are able to tidy it up, it takes less staff time to put it out, and caring for it is quicker.’
It is also easier for a child to work out and see the play opportunities when there is a small amount of information to process, Ms Tassoni says. For example, when there is a crate of random animals, children’s brains have to work very hard to pick out the one they want, if they get to that point at all. Whereas if a tray is carefully set out with a piece of turf and some collections of animals, maybe three zebras and three giraffes, then children can see what the possibilities are. Other linked animals, such as elephants, can be neatly grouped on the side so that children can add to their play if they choose.
THINK IT THROUGH
Ms Tassoni talks about the importance of practitioners ‘curating’ children’s play by reducing the amount of excess resources. ‘We need a lot of rotation; children who are staying all day may want to carry on with the same type of play but need other props to enhance their play which will extend it further,’ she says.
Instead of automatically putting out lots of equipment and resources, Prof Bruce agrees that the way to provide worthwhile, rich experiences for children is to carefully plan what is available. ‘I like children to have loads of resources, what I don’t want is things that haven’t been thought through,’ she says. ‘What I don’t want to see is lots of ghastly boxes piled up with a whole load of buttons of different sizes which the children can’t do anything with because it is just stuff. I want them to know where the glue, Sellotape and scissors are and for them to be beautifully set out.’
The resources that are available at Linden Tree Nursery Schools follow its Froebelian approach. ‘The practitioners are encouraged to observe children carefully in order to implement resources at a time which best meets the needs and interests of the children,’ explains Ms Williams. ‘We work in smaller groups and overall have a smaller capacity, which allows us to spend prolonged time with the children in order to ensure the activities we provide offer added value to the environment.
‘As soon as children are crawling around, they begin to understand that everything has its place, and baskets are labelled with the real-life picture of the object and the word alongside it. Resources are also rotated and re-introduced at a later stage so children can build upon what they know in order to move on to that next stage, through the guidance of their key person.’
It is not about reducing children’s choices but about providing ‘a bit of everything, rather than lots of overwhelming stuff’, adds Ms Tassoni. ‘It doesn’t have to be an austere environment,’ she says. ‘There is a very clear test – what is the children’s engagement, how are the children staying and playing, and how easy is it to plug into what they want to do next – do you find children wandering? Does the environment look, sound or feel chaotic? You want to see children who are able to concentrate, and you will soon work out what children’s favourite resources are if you observe them. If you see children’s interest waning, then remove some resources and replace them with something they have not had in a while.’
CASE STUDY Yorkshire Montessori Nurseries
‘Maria Montessori herself, through her observations and studies of children, felt that the child relies entirely on the environment for the sensory impression of the world in which they live,’ says manager of provision and Montessori trainer Verity Irvin. ‘Creating a calm environment enables children to explore the world around them without being over-stimulated.
‘Montessori teachers are very aware of what is being used in the classroom and the outcomes there are. There are specific materials – resources – out all the time that allow the children to repeat for as long as they like and refine their skills. The shelves are carefully laid out with space between the materials to make it easy for the children to choose and put back again. They learn to take responsibility to care for their environment and to think about others in their environment because they are getting it ready for the child that comes after them – all the beginnings of being socially aware, being a social being and accepting responsibility.
‘Because areas are set up in a similar manner, children know where everything is, which helps them to settle and feel secure. They can access resources independently, which helps to build their self-esteem and confidence.’
Decluttering tips
- Get rid of anything that is broken or has missing parts.
- Think of the children in your care, what interests them and what skills you want to support, and resource accordingly.
- Decide what should be in your continuous provision and what resources can be put away until needed.
- Rather than providing a large box full of similar resources – such as cars – categorise and reduce the number available so there is not an overwhelming mass.
- Just because something is sold in a large number, for example scissors, does not mean they all need to be out at once. Put out enough for the number of children who can realistically be in that area.
- Clearly label boxes and resources so that they can be easily located by staff and children.
- Rotate resources to keep children’s interest, provide excitement and extend their play.
- Store resources according to children’s age and stage of development – low storage may not be appropriate if children’s play currently involves tipping out.
- Remember that the best resource a child can have is an engaged practitioner.
