Nursery Equipment: Private spaces - A place of their own

Think back to your childhood and the special places where you liked to play, chat to friends or simply be. It's likely that this space was a cosy area out of view from watchful adults - your own private haven.

Young children are often attracted to small areas where they can 'enclose' their play and gain a sense of control over their physical space, as opposed to being in a large, open room. The spaces can give a feeling of privacy and security and allow them to withdraw by themselves or with friends away from the gaze of their peers and adults. Children's levels of concentration and involvement in their play are also heightened in enclosed spaces or play areas defined by screens, mobile storage units, rugs and the like.

Within a large nursery with lots of children, private spaces can bring the scale down to a more domestic and personal level, explains Peter Catling, head of Woodlands Park Nursery School and Children's Centre in Tottenham, London.

'Providing places, such as a shed in the garden, that children have control over is crucial,' he says. 'It is empowering for the children to have ownership of a place, and it is a place where children can interact in a different way. Private spaces allow children to feel secure within and observe what is going on around them; they are then able to step into other activities that they see happening around them.'

Early years consultant Elizabeth Jarman suggests that practitioners offer a range of private spaces for children to seek out. 'From both a communication and child development perspective, it is important to acknowledge the different stages of the children in your care,' she advises. 'Provide private spaces in the environment big enough for just one child; not everyone wants to share all the time, especially when they are spending long hours in daycare.

'There is also a need for parallel play spaces where children can play alongside each other with non-verbal communication, and practitioners also need to think of spaces that nurture and encourage small-group conversations, three to four children together. Then there should be bigger spaces for large groups. Remember that not all children like enclosed spaces. Some children have an anxiety over small, dark spaces, so it is important to offer choices based on careful observations.'

When thinking of creating dens and private areas, try to select structures that are multi-purpose so that their use is open-ended and not restrictive to children's imaginative play. These places could range from a wooden playhouse to a cardboard box, a hidey-hole under a draped table to a viewing point on a play loft.

Practitioners at James Peacock Nursery School in Ruddington, Nottingham, have taken care to offer a range of private spaces inside and outdoors. 'The private spaces that we have created give children who want time out a place for some quiet time. They are a great place to go and read or share a book with a friend,' says nursery leader Sally Squires. 'There are 54 children in the nursery in one session and the quiet areas are great for helping them to get away from the hustle and bustle, settle and form friendships. They also help children to feel more secure in their role play.'

There are tents outside, and a wooden shelter is currently hung with green drapes and 'vines', transforming it into a jungle with materials to snuggle and play under. A shed has in turn been a Chinese takeaway, a B&Q store and dinosaur den. Indoors, there's a house made from a big box donated by a local supermarket and a castle formed by a £40 sheet of corrugated card.

Ms Jarman adds, 'Child-height spaces can be liberating because children can be in their own private world and feel that no-one can hear them, the visual over-stimulation from the room can be blocked out and that can physically allow some children to engage more deeply in their play.'

PLAYHOUSE

Maria Grey Nursery School, Richmond-upon-Thames, London

Head teacher Helen Lansdell says, 'We have had the playhouse outside for more than ten years. It is robust and we simply re-varnish it every few years. We like to go out in all weathers and it's a place that's dry, so children can go in from the rain.

'Adults can't enter unless they're bent double so it's a lovely private space for the children. They like to feel that they are out of view and have somewhere to play that is secluded. It's a great place for imaginary games, which helps with language development, and it's lovely to hear the children talking among themselves. They often take on different roles, and the negotiation skills during these sessions help develop co-operation.

'We've set it up as different things from a kitchen to a Swiss chalet with cotton wool on top, and in summer it's been used as an ice cream parlour, with children pretending to serve cones through the hatch. We also put in cushions for a cosy place to read.

'It provides a haven for less confident children to sit and observe play in other parts of the garden. We like to have spaces where children can retreat. We have children with special needs who especially like to get away from the groups of children and loud noises for some peace and quiet.'

PLAY LOFT

Wonderland Day Nursery, Wednesbury, West Midlands

Nursery manager Hayley Sowden says, 'The children love going up and down the stairs to the platform and especially enjoy being able to see everyone else from above. I think they enjoy the feeling of being up high and observing what is going on in the nursery below. They can also look out of the window from there into the nursery grounds. Often children go up in pairs, so it's a nice social space.

'We've had the loft for five years and often change what it's used for - it's very flexible. At the moment, there are puzzles on the platform and the children enjoy going up for some time out from the busy nursery room.

'Underneath is very cosy and enclosed, and we currently have sensory toys that the children can investigate in private. There are fewer interruptions than in the main nursery room, so children can really concentrate and focus on their activities.'

TENTS

Treetops Day Nursery, Oakwood, Derby

Nursery manager Pam Clarke says, 'We use tents a lot, indoors and out. They are inexpensive and easy to dismantle. We also provide materials, such as blankets and canes, for children to build their own tents.

'While the babies enjoy crawling into and through tents and exploring in them, the pre-school children often go in in groups and think up games to play. They problem-solve and negotiate together. Adults can't easily see into the tents, so it's their own private play space where they feel free to do what they want and can follow their own agenda. The children very much take ownership of the tents.

'We often overhear the boys having lots of conversations in the tents that they wouldn't necessarily have in front of an adult. They seem to feel more confident to talk there and love making up imaginative stories. They like role-playing, such as Spiderman's home or rescuing a princess.

'Sometimes, we use one of the tents as a ball pool, and another is currently in the reading corner with twinkling lights inside.'

WILLOW DOME

Lincolnshire Montessori, Caistor, Lincolnshire

Development manager Nathan Archer says, 'The entrance to the dome is almost too small for an adult so it is absolutely the children's space. They love its circular shape, which gives a homely and nurturing sense, and the natural materials are calming. The dome lends itself to seclusion and quiet, which is what children need when they want to focus on a book or mark-making. It is a safe place to retreat to, particularly for children who are not as confident.

'We've had the dome for 18 months and it's wearing really well, despite getting well used. It's even survived being outside in the snow. There are small windows, which are good for supervision and for the children to observe what is going on outside.

'Sometimes, we set up the area with cushions and books, but often we leave it empty so children can role-play, such as a kitchen or a shop, and it is used by children as a place to relax and sometimes even sleep.'

MORE INFORMATION

• - Elizabeth Jarman Ltd, www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk
• - Jumbo Willow Wigwam (dome), £399, www.furnitureforschools.co.uk
• - Deluxe Playhouse (play loft), £2,699.95, www.tts-group.co.uk
• - Pop Up Tent, £20, Early Learning Centre, www.elc.co.uk
• - Kitty Cottage (play house), £449.95, Step by Step, www.sbs-educational.co.uk
• - Snuggly Den and Tepee, £170 and £120 respectively, www.millwoodeducation.co.uk
• - Playtoz is developing a wigwam that doubles as a darkroom, www.playtoz.co.uk