Enabling environments

What happens in the baby room is a Community playthings publication and a must read for all those working with under 2’s. It considers both the physical and emotional environment and how this supports early child development. 

A good place to be two is the Community playthings follow on publication which looks at developing good quality environments both indoors and out for our curious two year olds. 

The power of purposeful preschool environments is a further article by Community playthings considering the environment for 3-5’s.

Birth to five matters recognise enabling environments as offering children security, comfort, engagement and opportunity. This short document explores how this may look in practice.

Birth to five: Learning environments

Early education consider 8 top tips when planning the physical environment to enable children’s learning. Enabling environments and their impact on children’s learning.
 

Childminders are uniquely placed to provide enabling environments where children feel safe and secure whilst tailoring learning opportunities and interactions to their individual needs. The home environment can therefore be the perfect backdrop to a wonderful early years curriculum.

The following documents consider how to make the most of your home environment.

Childminders: Enabling environments

Tiney - How to create an enabling environment
 

The emotional environment can be described as an invisible feeling or energy that you get when entering a room. The adult role is therefore crucial in creating an emotional environment where children feel safe and secure. 

Bristol early years team consider how we can support children at different ages and stages to achieve high levels of emotional wellbeing. The Emotional Environment - Bristol Early Years

Attachment in the early years is a free open university course which explores attachment theory and how this impacts how we support babies and young children in an emotionally enabling environment.

The Pikler approach helps us to consider how we can build respectful relationships between adults and infants through everyday caregiver moments such as dressing, mealtimes and toileting. The Pikler collection has collated information and research on this relationship approach to child development.

This piece of action research by Helen Gibson nursery school considers how children need adults to provide them with the space and time to create. A very inspirational read. Experiments and Encounters: The Extraordinary ordinary space.

For more information on the role of the adult in supporting personal, social and emotional development and as the role of a teacher, please search under the Learning and Development button. 
 

The EYFS states providers must provide access to an outdoor play area or, if that is not possible, ensure that outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis. Outdoors allows children freedom to explore, connect with nature and start to manage their own risks. Done well outdoor play can support the holistic development of the child and foster the characteristics of effective learning.

Community Playthings have created this booklet, Outdoor environments: Developing outdoor learning spaces which explores ways to establish a rich enabling outdoor environment.

The Early years learning alliance have written an article on the benefits of outdoor play for all children. 

The British Association for Early Childhood Education offer guidance around risky play. Taking risks in play - Early Education (early-education.org.uk)
 

If an environment is not enabling, then children will not learn. The tools below have been collated to support the evaluation and reflection of your current provision. 

The Early childhood environment rating scales (ECERS) is a quality improvement tool focused on environmental provision and adult-child interactions. Although it is no longer a local authority requirement to use this tool it can still be a useful guide when reflecting on provision. This recording of a provider webinar summarises what would be measured when using this tool and gives a solid framework to evaluate against. ECERS Webinar: Great start to quality.

The normal entitlement document, created by the inclusion team is a key resource for all settings. This document is easy to use and provides us with a baseline of what the environment should provide so all children can achieve.

These cases studies about the learning environment truly celebrate the wonder of early years.

My Space is a document created by Oxfordshire county council to support early years providers in create an enabling; emotional, indoors and outdoors environment. 

This Early years 360 degree environment audit considers the environment through both the child and adult lens. A great resource to use to support reflective practice and quality improvement.