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The enabling environment is one of four overarching principles outlined in the EYFS statutory guidance, along with The Unique Child, Positive Relationships and Children's Learning and Development (see the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning -CoETL).
On enabling environments, in particular, the guidance states that:
“Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.”
- Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage
While this might not go into too much explicit detail, it does outline the need for a child-first approach to everything you do in your environment. Elsewhere, the approach has been broken down into three areas:
While we’ll mostly be focusing on the indoor when we talk about creating a homely setting, the same concept is important for the other two enabling environments too.
This article is all about your setting being welcoming and comfortable, to support children to have the freedom and confidence to explore and learn. That is a concept that should be seen in every part of your practice.
For some children, your setting will be a place where they spend more time than their own home.
Even for those who don’t, they’re still spending a significant amount of time at your setting. That transition from their home to nursery should be as smooth as possible to allow children to feel safe, secure, and ready to engage.
This is especially true for children who have just started at your setting, and even more so among the youngest children. Areas commonly used by the littlest ones should have an even homelier touch. Without this, children can easily become overstimulated, distressed and in no position to play and learn.
That is not to say it should all be cushions and fluffy rugs. It is this homely, secure feeling that allows you to include things that are challenging, new, and novel. It’s just about getting that balance right.
Now that we’ve explained why we think a homely enabling environment is so important to your setting, let’s dive into some of the best ways you can become a home-from-home for your children.
Whenever you make any changes to your environment, auditing what you have already should be the first step.
As we discussed at great length in our interview with the team from The Curiosity Approach, getting down on a child’s level when you do this is absolutely essential. Things that might look cosy from our height can look very different from child-height. That’s why before any audit you should get on your hands and knees and consider what you can really see.
To start you off, consider the following questions:
Do you have plenty of plastic or are you more neutral and natural? Consider the 'why' of every addition or change to your play environment and resources.
Despite the popularity of all-natural resources, it really is about what works for the children in your cohort. Your setting should be a safe space for children, with warm and supportive relationships, and an environment in which children feel welcomed and a sense of belonging. If a familiar character or some favourite plastic toys contributes to that, and it's following children's interests, then that's what's best for your setting.
We know that children's learning and development are as unique as they are, so there's no reason that your setting has to have the same resources or environment as everyone else.
When you think of a homely, enabling environment, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Soft and squishy stuff of course! Softer furnishings can be comfortable and calming for children and adults alike and can contribute greatly to a cosy feeling of a physical space. Think things like:
What’s more, soft furnishings will help to dampen sound too, making for a more peaceful, less chaotic environment with fewer noise distractions.
We know an enabling environment plays a key part in supporting children's development, but that doesn't mean we need to fill it to the brim with further resources.
Fewer bits and pieces means you can promote self-selection of toys and resources, as children can clearly see what options they have. Too much stuff will lead to overstimulation that can leave children feeling overwhelmed, especially when they’re trying to settle in.
One way to do this is to consider the defined areas you have in your indoor and outdoor environment:
When you’re preparing your environment, ask yourself about every resource you have:
This kind of focused, constant questioning means you’ll end up with a richer environment, with far fewer pieces that exist just because that’s always been the way, or because you read somewhere that it was a good idea (we realise the irony in this statement…).
Building warm and homely enabling environments doesn't have to mean redecorating or buying new resources. This can be done simply with pictures of children's families and loved ones.
You can partner with parents by asking them for the features of their home as inspiration. Something familiar can reassure children and helps to bridge the gap between their home and their ‘second home’. Not only that, but parents and carers can enjoy contributing to their child's progress at their setting (as well as playing a key role at home, of course).
Retreats are important for everyone, especially for children who might feel overwhelmed during the day in a busy Early Years setting. Without them, there is no sanctuary for children to escape to and they can become stressed and uncomfortable.
Keeping quiet corners out of the way of any regular ‘traffic’ is important and the setting's ground rules can help to keep these places relaxing.
What's more, you don't have to limit a quiet, relaxing corner to your indoor environment, make space for rest in your outdoor spaces too.
When you think of Early Years settings, you probably think of primary colours and plenty of bright displays. For some settings, this environment can work really well, but again, best practice is all about the child development needs of your unique cohort.
Too many bright, bold colours used everywhere can be a little overstimulating for some children, so combined with the quiet areas we talked about above, you could consider including some areas which are less visually busy.
You might consider using natural or neutral backgrounds for your displays or walls, or have some areas that are painted in softer colours.
If you do choose to make this change, ensure staff understand that it doesn't mean you're planning a monochrome nursery - not everything has to be beige if that's not right for your setting. It's just about choosing to use colour with consideration.
Great for indoor play or outdoor play, a cosy den can host a whole range of activities like reading, talking, and playing light games in.
Make sure that you have materials out where children can build their own, encouraging problem-solving so they can be architects of their own comfort. Not only that, children learn valuable physical and emotional development skills through carefully assessed risk-taking and working cooperatively to build their den.
Is your Early Years setting lit like a classroom or like a living room? How do you illuminate your outdoor environments?
Bright, clinical-feeling lighting environments can overstimulate children and have been found to produce the hormone cortisol, which tends to be released during periods of stress. Some ideas for more homely lighting include:
Asking the children in your setting what they’d like to see means you’re not just making an enabling environment that you’d consider homely, but one that will be cosy for them. A big old leather sofa might seem like the height of comfort, but could be odd and imposing to a younger child, or a child from a different culture. During group time, the children's key person could start a discussion about what they like about the setting, and what else they'd enjoy.
Cultural context is particularly important if you have a diverse cohort at your setting. Encouraging comforting areas that reflect everyone’s home life not only improves everyone’s comfort but also helps you to teach the other children in your setting about other cultures and people.
This is something that we recommend for all sorts of things, from improving your staff meetings to introducing new ideas for your continuous provision.
No matter what your objective, visiting other settings following the Early Years Foundation Stage, and getting inspired by them, is going to revolutionise your practice. Take a look at how they have utilised the three aspects of the emotional environment, the outdoor environment, and the indoor environment to:
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
