Is my childcare setting to cluttered?
Many early years practitioners working in a childcare setting are continuously asking themselves the question how I can improve my childcare setting. A good starting point is to look at what furniture you have and is the environment to cluttered. If you are answering yes to the cluttered question then why not start looking at what to remove.
It is often the case that you are trying to squeeze in furniture to accommodate requirements from the EYFS. It is quite easy to remove some furniture and still see effective outcomes.
To work out what furniture to remove first look at what the furniture is needed for. Ask yourself the following questions.
- what do I need all the tables for
- Are the chairs more for adults purpose
Children need plenty of space to learn and you find they often children prefer to play on the floor. By removing the odd table it can create more floor space for the children to play.
Carry out an experiment by removing a table and see if this improves your childcare setting, these simple steps can make all the different. Also changing practitioners mindset can be another way to improving your environment, some practitioners think they need enough tables for all children to sit at.
Looking at the layout of your childcare setting
Sometimes the layout of the room can cause some restrictions as well as furniture and tables. Look at each area of your continuous provision, can you introduce more mobile resources eg clipboards and writing bags to areas of your room, this may save you having to have a table in your graphics area. Opening up your areas will allow children to freely access the resources but have the opportunity to take the resources to an area of their choice.
Liaise with your team as to what furniture you need to keep as some activities such as malleable play do need tables. Be creative in your choice of furniture, have you ever thought of putting your malleable play in a builders tray with adjustable legs. Children need the choice of being able to access floor level activities as well as table height activities.
Introducing child friendly furniture is important for children’s development. Children want to be able to access activities independently. Are you able to adapt any of your current furniture and make it child friendly for example painting the back of a low unit with chalk board paint. Making your childcare environment a homely and comfortable place where children can explore learning is a high priority. Do you have comfy areas in your childcare setting with cushions and places for children to hide away in? If not consider implementing these as children enjoying being able to take themselves away to a quiet area to reflect on what they have been doing
By making these slights changes to your childcare setting it you will hopefully see a huge impact and remember that often less is better than more.