First up, how much space do you need? The Early Years Foundation Stage framework outlines certain minimum space requirements which your setting will need to meet:
children under two years: 3.5m squared per child
two year olds: 2.5m squared per child
Children aged 3-5 years: 2.3m squared per child
As long as you meet those space requirements, even if your home is small there is a lot you can do to set up a great learning environment! Here are some ideas and space-saving tips, and key resources that we recommend in every tiney home setting.
Use flexible resources and 'Loose Parts'. This will not only save you money, but is great for supporting children's creativity! Remember, you're setting up a home-based setting, so you want to create a space that works for you and your family and the likelihood is you probably don't want to fill your home with loads of brightly coloured plastic toys which take up space, make annoying noises, use lots of batteries and are often expensive. The great news is that loose parts are space-saving as they can be used in multiple ways. They are also low-cost or even free; and those that you do buy are a good investment because they can be used in many different ways and with children of different ages and needs. Take a look at our Loose Parts Guide for more ideas. Many of these things you probably already have in your home, or in a local park:
Cardboard boxes and tubes. A collection of cardboard tubes and loo rolls can be a marble run, binoculars, a rabbit warren or complex underground train system... It's a good idea to save your loo roll tubes and have them available for play. They can be connected with straws, clothes pegs, or slot together if you cut slits into them. A truly magnificent (and fee!) resource.
Large scarves or light cloths in different colours. These can be used in a dressing up area (cloak? Mermaid tail? Fairy wings?), combined with movement as flowing dance cloths, spread on the floor to make tidying up Lego much easier, or can be hung over furniture to create a den or cosy reading nook. You can also use a large cloth to cover up the TV screen so little ones aren't tempted and can focus on more active play. A simple basket with a range of fabrics of different textures is a delightful and sensory invitation to play.
Wooden bricks - Block play is appealing for babies, toddlers and older children too because they can become anything children want - telephones, ramp supports, castles, bridges.... Wooden bricks are a fab resource because children will interact with them in a way that meets their own developmental stage. You can find out more about understanding and enhancing block play here. If you don't have some wooden bricks already, you can often pick them up second hand online or in charity shops, or make your own from wooden offcuts sanded down.
Natural loose parts: Conkers, acorns, leaves, twigs, pebbles (keep an eye on choking hazards around babies), clothes pegs, wooden lolly sticks can be combined in many ways - from numeracy skills such as counting or sorting, constructing towers, making patterns. These offer such a huge range of scope for play and again, don't cost anything to buy.
Art materials: Having crayons, markers, chalks, washable paints, coloured paper, child-safe scissors and glue readily available opens up so many opportunities for children. As well as exploring mark-making and drawing, they can combine marks with their games - making a 'menu' for snack time, recording the winners of a race, draw their family... When storing your art materials, ensure the children can always access them when they need to (not high up on a shelf out of their reach!) Small bathroom shelving is often a good option as it tends to fit into smaller spaces, and can fit well alongside a small table to create a mini art studio. Or re-purpose an old sewing box or basket to offer an enticing range of art materials for the children to explore.
When it comes to paper, think beyond pre-printed colouring in sheets, as these limit children's imaginations to what is already on the page. A large roll of paper is a great investment - you could cover your corridor or large floor area and allow children to walk barefoot across it with painty feet. Consider also painting on various surfaces - bring in a stick from the park and paint that; unfold big cardboard boxes for painting on, or hang up an old sheet to make a giant painting canvas.
A child-height table: This can be used for art, for meal times, or for a table-top display. The Ikea flisat table has a removable lid and waterproof trays so can be used as a water table or for sensory activities (and containing glitter so it doesn't go into your carpet and remain there for all time). You can buy bigger 'tuff trays' for containing messy play if you have a bigger space.
Water: A small water bucket or tray provides a myriad of potential investigations - what materials sink or float? Can we make a boat from tin foil? Which cup contains more water? What happens to an ice cube in water? Combine with earth and a new world of mud play possibilities open up... You don't need a fancy tuff tray or mud kitchen to enjoy water play: a simple baking dish or shallow basin with water and a range of containers in it offers plenty of scope for learning.
Books: The tiney book club is fantastic because we will help you to build up your own tiney library by sending you some great children's books and resources to inspire many activities relating to thee stories. You don't need hundreds of books - you can take the children on a trip to your local library to get more! It's a good idea to have some books in rotation (packed away), and then you can mix them up every now and then to get a fresh collection out. Stories can spark role play, puppet shows and many great conversations. Children will love to snuggle up on your sofa or some cushions on the floor and enjoy a story. Think about displaying your books in a way that is enticing for children. Can you select a few books to display alongside another resource that brings the book to life - eg, Dear Zoo alongside a selection of plastic animals? If Teddy is enjoying this book, it must be worth a read!
It's also worth noting here that a cosy book corner can also be a great calm place for children to relax and take a breather if they need to self-regulate their emotions. Having some cushions, nicely textured fabrics, some soft toys in a little nook, den, tent or cosy corner can really help with this. If a child is feeling upset or overwhelmed, they need to know there is a comforting and quiet place they can go to. Does your home offer a cosy area for self-regulation?
2. Smart storage
You can use storage smartly so as to keep materials and toys tidy, and so that you can pack things away to have your own space for you and your family. We recommend choosing storage which is accessible to the children so that they can see what's available and choose materials themselves, or that is clearly labelled with a picture of what's inside. This makes it easier for children to help tidy up (phew!), and enables them to engage independently with the resources.
There are various affordable storage options that work well because resources can be stored at children's height, and which have a child-height surface which you can use to display books and other materials.
You don't need to buy millions of toys or materials. I recommend having one storage unit that is open for the children to access, and keep some of your materials in a cupboard somewhere else. If you rotate them every few weeks once the children are tired of the resources, it will be like you have a whole new toy collection to explore!
3. Use what you've already got at home!
Have you every noticed that a baby often shows more interest in a set of keys and a TV remote than a plastic 'baby toy'? This is because children are curious about real-life objects - the things in our homes that they see us interacting with and which serve a purpose day to day. So have a rummage in your kitchen cupboards and fish out some (safe) utensils, pots and pans, beans - interesting objects which can be combined in may ways and offer huge scope for sensory play. Can you make your own playdough, and offer this with a potato masher, whisk, fork and comb for making patterns in the dough? Take some time to set up some enticing invitations to play. These can be simple, and open-ended. For example, here in this living room you can see a simple invitation for a toddler to explore with a baking dish, a teapot, some beans, conkers cups and teddies. Perhaps they will have a tea party? Perhaps they will make porridge? Who knows, but the invitation is set up thoughtfully for the child to take it in whichever direction they want to!
Again, here is another little set up, where you can see a simple sensory basket for babies to explore. There's a cosy rug with an open basket on it, and in the basket the baby can investigate a scarf, a whisk, an old CD, a pinecone, some wooden balls, a calculator and TV remote (batteries removed). None of these things are purpose-bought toys but all offer different sensory experiences.
4. Use your wall space and windows
Even a narrow corridor can be a great learning space. You could set up a gallery wall to display children's work, capture and celebrate their questions, and display photos of their (and your!) family. Try growing broad beans in a sandwich bag sellotaped to a window, or fold tissue paper stars to bring colour to grey skies.
5. Use light as a learning tool
Light offers a vast number of opportunities for scientific and artistic exploration. Can you make long shadows on a sunny day? Can you use a lamp to make shadow puppets? Hang a mirror at a low level so babies can learn to identify their own reflection. Fairy lights in a plastic box covered in paper make a great makeshift light table - usually over £150 to buy! - so children can explore how light transforms transparent and translucent objects.
6. Remember, your home doesn't need to look like a nursery!
Many parents will choose a childminder precisely because they don't feel a larger nursery setting is suitable for their child, so you don't need to start packing away your sofas, houseplants and family photos! All of these things make your home cosy and inviting. Parents have chosen your setting because it is homely, so celebrate this!
If you are looking for even more resources to help you with setting up your space, please head to the discover section of the app! Enjoy!