Home Corner Makeover with Early Years Outdoor

The classic ‘home corner’ features in most early years classrooms. In my reception class, it’s the most popular area during continuous provision play and is never empty.

In the past, I have swapped the home corner for themed role play areas, but always found that the children reverted to traditional home play. However, not all children experience going to a garden centre or post office, yet all children experience a home in some way.

Therefore, the home corner is now a fixed, permanent feature of my classroom. This allows children to play in a way that’s familiar to their home life and experiences.

Home Corner Magic

My previous home corner was tired, uninspiring, and not very welcoming. But, using Hope’s fabulous range of resources, I’ve created a space which ‘wowed’ the children and became an instant hit during play. Providing resources that are familiar to them such as cutlery, plates, cups, food etc., helped to role play what they have already experienced in their early years life. Thus, helping to make sense of the world around them.

Play, Learn, Grow

The home corner is invaluable for allowing children to collaborate with each other, learn new language and solve problems. When taking on the role of ‘parent’ or ‘sibling’, children must negotiate with each other and then act this out as their chosen character. This helps later in life as they learn the skills of negotiation, solving problems and turn taking in play.

On the wall of my home corner, I added images of families ensuring that all kinds of families are represented. This not only reflects my current class, but children’s home experiences can vary. So by adding resources to reflect cultural differences this will help children connect during play. For example, adding chopsticks alongside knives and forks or ensuring a range of food from around the world is included.

The new kitchen has been designed with early years children in mind yet looks and feels like a modern real-life kitchen. It’s a perfect height, great for reaching up and bending below and is a space saver due to the sides being on wheels and able to be pushed in or out. I know that it will be loved by many children that pass through my classroom and I’m excited to see all the play that occurs in it!

This article was kindly written by our brand ambassador Early Years Outdoor. Looking for more inspirational articles? Have a read of our Decorating Your Early Years Setting for lots more interior ideas.