Helpful Hints

Setting up the area

  • Introduce the area through a trip out or visitors to school, use stories and songs and DVDs too. See your stimulus and starting point ideas.
  • Brainstorm with the children all the things you saw on your visit and collect the children's ideas of what should be included in their area. Use photos, drawings and ideas cut out of magazines to create a mind map of how you want the area to look/what you want the area to include. This could be used to create a 'learning process display' that shows everyone the learning in your classroom.
  • Introduce the bin with the relevant resources and let them be involved setting out and labelling the area.
  • Write to parents and ask them to loan or donate play resources (clearly labelled) to the area to give the children more ownership of the area. (see the list of easy to find resources for schools to provide).
  • Personalise the area even more with one of our mini-magic screens. Paint the scenery for your area with the children letting them suggest what should be included.

Getting the most from your area

  • In the early stages it is advisable to plan for an adult to play alongside the children modeling ways in which the resources could be used to support those children whose experience may be limited and those children who may find it difficult to play co-operatively.
  • Use the area to deliver both child led and adult planned and initiated learning. Don't be afraid to deliver focus activities through the play in this area as this keeps the children's attention and interest in the area sustained and has a huge impact on their own independent play and learning.
  • Keep the area moving forward all the time and maintain interest by presenting a new problem, challenge or scenario each day or week so the children sustain their interest. Take on roles in the area and model play. Have letters arrive, openings, visitors and phone calls which give the children a new task to complete.
  • Why not take photographs of the different parts of the role play area when tidy. Display these and encourage the children to use them as an aid to tidying so at the end of sessions the children know where everything goes.
  • Personalise the area. Let the children share in developing the area to give them more ownership. Discuss after each session what they enjoyed? What can we do to make the area better? What could we add to make it more exciting? Make a list for parents and ask them to loan toys and resources for the area to make it even more exciting for their children to see of their own toys in there.