Storage Ideas

Do you work from your living room and pack away each night?

Or are you in a reception class where you’re looking at developing independence?

Here are some things to consider…

 

-Open shelving (IKEA Kallax is a great option and can often be found on market place sites) allows children to see what’s there and self select. Perhaps you could display books along with resources and little baskets or wooden bowls with objects of interest.

 

-Wooden crates are a very popular option too and can be used in such a versatile way. Try market place sites, amazon, etsy and asking friends who have just got married!

 

-Having more open ended materials allows for not only a variety of ages but encourages them to be creative and take the lead in their play. Meaning you actually need less resources as children create their own representations of experiences rather than having set pieces like a car garage that only has one purpose.

 

-Know your children and decide yourself whether to label or not. Could you get the children involved in this and give them ownership of the environment?

 

-Can you have a central store of organised resources? My member Claire Wilson has a shed in her garden full of loose parts. A garage or storage room would equally work well. The key is to have it organised so that resources can quickly be grabbed to respond to children’s needs and interests. I like to organise mine by seasons.

 

-Be creative with how you use your space. An unusual way to store trains in a tiered stand like my member Rebecca Reynolds catches a child’s eye. Or maybe having a maths station on two wooden kitchen chairs pushed together! Storing art materials in a trolley that can be wheeled in and out or pencils and stationary in a cutlery basket! Remember that if you’re a childminder you don’t have to replicate a nursery environment with every area.

 

-Think platforms! Can you create learning spaces on top of platforms of different heights? A cable reel, a crate, pallet, top of shelving or even inside a suitcase!

 

-If working out of your home could you try using trays? Having resources in these that can be brought out for older children while younger ones sleep? Or saving a provocation for a later day?

Collection of photos from my members.

 

For more support on setting up your learning environment try one of my online courses here