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Creating an Enabling Environment

November 15, 2018 12:00 pm
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The Early Years Foundation Stage has several requirements and guiding principles. One of these principles is ‘creating an enabling environment’… but what is an enabling environment and how can you contribute to ensuring the best environment for the children in your care?

To help you understand enabling environments we have split this article into a few sections.

  1. What is an enabling environment?
  2. Why are enabling environments important in early years?
  3. How do I create an enabling environment?
  4. Emotional environments
  5. Indoor environments
  6. Outdoor environments

What is an enabling environment? 

An enabling environment provides a rich, varied and safe space in a setting in which children can play, explore and learn. This can contribute greatly to children’s learning and development in the early years.
The environment should be child-centred. It is important that practitioners value and encourage independence and that they understand how individual children learn best.

Enabling environments can be split into three important factors:

  • The Emotional Environment – the atmosphere of a setting and how it feels.
  • The Indoor Environment – the resources available in the indoor space, how they are accessed and how activities are led.
  • The Outdoor Environment – the resources available in the outdoor space, how they are accessed and how activities are led.

2. Why are enabling environments important in early years?

An enabling environment plays a key role in supporting children’s learning and development across all seven areas of the EYFS.

It is well recognised that children learn and develop best in caring, supportive environments which respond to their individual needs.

An enabling environment ensures that children grow and develop to be ‘resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

The environment in which a child plays and learns has always been an important factor to consider when thinking about children’s development, and much research takes place around this very subject. Giving children the physical and mental space in which to enable learning in a safe environment is key to their growth.

3. How do I create an enabling environment?

Looking at each aspect of the environment from a child’s point of view can be a great way to start when it comes to thinking about what changes can be made to improve the environment provided by your early years setting.

Important factors in creating an enabling environment…

  • Create an environment that is welcoming, and warm and facilitates a sense of belonging.
  • Ensure staff understand the importance of building warm and supportive relationships and nurturing the child’s development.
  • Provide interesting and familiar objects and resources for children to explore independently, and allow children to decide what they play with, where they play and who with. It is also important to offer activities that are new to them.
  • Ensure that the activities offer room for indoor and outdoor play if possible and that there is sufficient space for the children to move and explore.
  • Provide a range of activities which serve different purposes and promote different areas of development, such as inspiring role play, problem-solving, exploration of personal relationships and quiet time and reflection.
  • Try to ensure activities focus on the process more than the result.
  • Ensure that the environment and activities support the individual needs of the children. This includes making sure the resources are at a child-friendly height and easily movable.
  • Focus on each child’s progressing development and consider how you could incorporate their interests into activities. When could they have choice and control, and is the environment meeting their needs?
  • Consider creating an area that is quiet and allows children the time and space to focus without noise or distractions. This may be especially helpful for children with special educational needs (SEN).
  • Involve the children as much as possible when you create the setting’s ground rules for behaviour

Focusing on child-led learning is an important part of creating an enabling environment; In The Moment planning is an effective way of doing this.

In The Moment planning focuses on learning that children initiate themselves. The practitioner will observe this learning and then extend the learning by providing extension activities. In an enabling environment, more child-initiated play is likely to be observed.

Our In The Moment Planning Record Book is the perfect resource to help you record evidence of ‘In The Moment Planning’ in your setting. This book has a simple and easy-to-use layout which allows you to record observations made, how the learning was extended, the outcome and next steps and areas of learning covered.

4. Emotional environments

An enabling environment is more than simply a physical space, it is also made up of the emotions of the people in the environment – the children, the people who work in the setting and the parents of the children who attend.

Emotional environments reflect the relationships of those within them, and how those in the setting talk to each other, how they behave, how they treat others and how inclusive it feels.

The emotional environment of your early years setting is contributed to by all the people in the setting and it is important to make sure that the atmosphere created is warm and accepting. Adults in the setting should support children to express and cope with their different emotions safely by being empathetic and understanding – children will find that emotions expressed in a safe and accepting environment are easier to deal with and understand than those that are left unresolved. Children should be able to feel accepted, confident and valued.

  • Early years professionals need to understand that some children might need extra support with their emotions – how to express them and how to come to terms with them.
  • You could create an ‘about me’ sheet for each child that includes more than the basic information; ensure all staff that come into contact with the child have access to this information.

Alternatively, you could record all the information about a child in our ‘All About Me Record’.

This record is colourful, simply laid out and allows you to record all the essential information about a child that is needed to ensure their individual needs are being met in the setting.

It also allows you as the professional to ensure good communication with your colleagues and the child’s parents, and helps you to create a plan for the future, ensuring each child is receiving the best possible care.

  • Make sure your setting is inclusive and values all children by embracing all cultures, languages, ethnicity, religions and special needs and disabilities.
  • Make sure children are welcomed into the setting using their name and with warmth and familiarity – always with a smile! J
  • Encourage parents to stay and play a while to aid the transition from home to the early years setting (this can also help to reassure children when they observe the relationship between a parent and their key worker).
  • Offer open days and allow parents to visit the setting with their child/children – in particular before the child starts and/or moves from one room/group to another, but also at intervals throughout their stay.
  • Make sure all staff and practitioners within the setting understand that their approach needs to be a positive one where they show empathy, display and encourage consideration of their feelings and those around them.
  • Ensure your setting has a clear behaviour policy and that all staff understand the policy – try to focus more on the behaviours, attitudes and values that are important rather than extensive lists of rules.

A good emotional environment will help children create more positive relationships with staff and other children.

5. Indoor environments

The indoor environment of a setting should make children feel safe and secure and allow them to become confident learners.

There should be areas for different types of play or activity with appropriate and well-maintained resources that suit all age groups and stages of learning.

Indoor play and learning environments need careful planning to ensure they take account of children’s changing interests and needs. However, the basic geography of the setting should be kept the same as children feel safe when things remain constant.

To create an indoor environment that is rich in experience, play, teaching, and people, you need to:

  • Ensure the indoor environment feels comfortable, safe and homely.
  • Make sure the setting and all the elements within it are clean and safe – sometimes it may be a good idea to have a bit of a clear-out and get rid of any resources that are old, tired or broken.
  • Use displays of photographs, drawings and posters to encourage interest.
  • Try to make as many play and learning resources as possible accessible to the children themselves, think about the environment from a child’s height – can they reach things and easily see posters and displays?
  • Create specific areas for different types of play so that children can easily access and distinguish between activities on their own – think about including a messy area, a book area, a construction area, a craft area, a quiet area, a role-playing area, a senses area, etc
  • Ensure resources for the children are accessible, age-appropriate and clearly labelled – perhaps using pictures as well as words to mark boxes.
  • Encourage children to find the things they want within the setting.
  • Include and encourage children to help in tidying and putting away toys.
  • Regularly review how areas are used by observing the children at play– if they are not being used think about why not and consider what you could do to either make the area more accessible and inviting/stimulating, or re-develop the area.

6. Outdoor environments

Outdoor environments have many positive effects on children’s development. They give opportunities to experience and enhance many different skills with a greater sense of freedom and independence than those experienced indoors.

Outdoor spaces and learning environments provide contact with the natural world allowing children to use all of their senses. Often, children who are more reserved in an indoor setting will ‘come out of their shell’ when allowed to play and learn outdoors.

Outdoor learning environments allow children to experience problem-solving, risk-taking and big-scale play in a safe environment. They can use all of their senses and be creative in a different way using outdoor space.

Physical activity is enhanced and so is calculated risk-taking, which is important as children grow up.

To make full use of the outdoors and its ability to be a rich enabling environment you need to:

  • Try to make sure that children have the opportunity to be outside as much as possible throughout the year, even in the cold winter months.
  •  Talk to children about personal safety and the safety of others to help them understand how to behave in an outdoor setting.
  • Offer a multi-sensory environment by including areas for different types of outdoor play with different resources – think about sand play and wet play areas, wheeled toys, balls, areas for planting or with flowers and vegetables, and areas with larger items such as boxes, crates or tyres, areas focused on animals and insects such as bird feeders or log piles. The resources don’t have to be expensive, just varied and creative.
  • Don’t shy away from using the outdoor space in different types of weather – experiencing different weather is a fantastic learning and play opportunity for children. Ensure they have the correct clothing/footwear/hats to allow stamping in puddles, playing with snow or playing safely out in the sunshine.
  • An outdoor environment gives you the space you need to plan activities that cannot take place indoors – larger-scale activities held outdoors will encourage collaboration and cooperation between the children.
  • Ensure the outdoor environment caters for all the children – think about those with mobility issues and how they will use the space.
  • Try to link indoor and outdoor environments with a transition space where children can be independent (as much as possible), with low-level pegs and storage for the clothing and items they may need.
  • Think about having quiet areas where children can be away from the more noisy or energetic play that tends to take place outside – perhaps providing secret corners or dens.

Thinking about and planning for these three environmental aspects together will help you to provide an overall space and atmosphere that enables positive growth and development for all those in your early years setting.

Make sure to regularly record and track each Child’s progress, this will help with your planning and make sure you are updating the environments within the setting to cater for their individual needs.

Our ‘My Learning Journey’ resource is an efficient and fun way of recording and organising observations of each child’s progress and will help you in creating a setting that supports the development of each child.

This record is colourful, simply laid out and allows you to record all the essential information about a child that is needed to ensure their individual needs are being met in the setting.

It also allows you as the professional to ensure good communication with your colleagues and the child’s parents, and helps you to create a plan for the future, ensuring each child is receiving the best possible care.

  • Make sure your setting is inclusive and values all children by embracing all cultures, languages, ethnicity, religions and special needs and disabilities.
  • Make sure children are welcomed into the setting using their name and with warmth and familiarity – always with a smile! J
  • Encourage parents to stay and play a while to aid the transition from home to the early years setting (this can also help to reassure children when they observe the relationship between a parent and their key worker).
  • Offer open days and allow parents to visit the setting with their child/children – in particular before the child starts and/or moves from one room/group to another, but also at intervals throughout their stay.
  • Make sure all staff and practitioners within the setting understand that their approach needs to be a positive one where they show empathy, display and encourage consideration of their feelings and those around them.
  • Ensure your setting has a clear behaviour policy and that all staff understand the policy – try to focus more on the behaviours, attitudes and values that are important rather than extensive lists of rules.

A good emotional environment will help children create more positive relationships with staff and other children.

5. Indoor environments

The indoor environment of a setting should make children feel safe and secure and allow them to become confident learners.

There should be areas for different types of play or activity with appropriate and well-maintained resources that suit all age groups and stages of learning.

Indoor play and learning environments need careful planning to ensure they take account of children’s changing interests and needs. However, the basic geography of the setting should be kept the same as children feel safe when things remain constant.

To create an indoor environment that is rich in experience, play, teaching, and people, you need to:

  • Ensure the indoor environment feels comfortable, safe and homely.
  • Make sure the setting and all the elements within it are clean and safe – sometimes it may be a good idea to have a bit of a clear-out and get rid of any resources that are old, tired or broken.
  • Use displays of photographs, drawings and posters to encourage interest.
  • Try to make as many play and learning resources as possible accessible to the children themselves, think about the environment from a child’s height – can they reach things and easily see posters and displays?
  • Create specific areas for different types of play so that children can easily access and distinguish between activities on their own – think about including a messy area, a book area, a construction area, a craft area, a quiet area, a role-playing area, a senses area, etc
  • Ensure resources for the children are accessible, age-appropriate and clearly labelled – perhaps using pictures as well as words to mark boxes.
  • Encourage children to find the things they want within the setting.
  • Include and encourage children to help in tidying and putting away toys.
  • Regularly review how areas are used by observing the children at play– if they are not being used think about why not and consider what you could do to either make the area more accessible and inviting/stimulating, or re-develop the area.

6. Outdoor environments

Outdoor environments have many positive effects on children’s development. They give opportunities to experience and enhance many different skills with a greater sense of freedom and independence than those experienced indoors.

Outdoor spaces and learning environments provide contact with the natural world allowing children to use all of their senses. Often, children who are more reserved in an indoor setting will ‘come out of their shell’ when allowed to play and learn outdoors.

Outdoor learning environments allow children to experience problem-solving, risk-taking and big-scale play in a safe environment. They can use all of their senses and be creative in a different way using outdoor space.

Physical activity is enhanced and so is calculated risk-taking, which is important as children grow up.

To make full use of the outdoors and its ability to be a rich enabling environment you need to:

  • Try to make sure that children have the opportunity to be outside as much as possible throughout the year, even in the cold winter months.
  •  Talk to children about personal safety and the safety of others to help them understand how to behave in an outdoor setting.
  • Offer a multi-sensory environment by including areas for different types of outdoor play with different resources – think about sand play and wet play areas, wheeled toys, balls, areas for planting or with flowers and vegetables, and areas with larger items such as boxes, crates or tyres, areas focused on animals and insects such as bird feeders or log piles. The resources don’t have to be expensive, just varied and creative.
  • Don’t shy away from using the outdoor space in different types of weather – experiencing different weather is a fantastic learning and play opportunity for children. Ensure they have the correct clothing/footwear/hats to allow stamping in puddles, playing with snow or playing safely out in the sunshine.
  • An outdoor environment gives you the space you need to plan activities that cannot take place indoors – larger-scale activities held outdoors will encourage collaboration and cooperation between the children.
  • Ensure the outdoor environment caters for all the children – think about those with mobility issues and how they will use the space.
  • Try to link indoor and outdoor environments with a transition space where children can be independent (as much as possible), with low-level pegs and storage for the clothing and items they may need.
  • Think about having quiet areas where children can be away from the more noisy or energetic play that tends to take place outside – perhaps providing secret corners or dens.

Thinking about and planning for these three environmental aspects together will help you to provide an overall space and atmosphere that enables positive growth and development for all those in your early years setting.

Make sure to regularly record and track each Child’s progress, this will help with your planning and make sure you are updating the environments within the setting to cater for their individual needs.

Our ‘My Learning Journey’ resource is an efficient and fun way of recording and organising observations of each child’s progress and will help you in creating a setting that supports the development of each child.

Here are some further resources and information available to help with different aspects of creating an enabling environment – take a look…

Free Articles and Resources:

Large Observation Sticky Notes and Small Observation Sticky Notes – Perfect for recording an observation on the go in any environment, these can be easily transferred into a child’s Learning Journey.

The Importance of Sensory Play

Ideas and Activities for Outdoor Learning

In The Moment Planning – Child-Led Play and Learning

Understanding Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Creating Enabling Environments

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