EYFS Activities: An A to Z of enhancements - B is for books

Promoting a love of reading is of great importance in our nursery. Enhancements are often added to the environment that relate to the books we share. They create opportunities for children to discuss the stories and gain a deeper understanding of them, as well as providing engaging and interesting ways to develop their skills. Here are some examples:

Iggy Peck Architect

This book by Andrea Beaty, and the others in her series, can provide children with interesting new aspirations. While sharing the story we talked about how an architect designs buildings. Outside in the building area, an ‘Iggy Peck Architect’ table was added with a copy of the book, an authentic toolbox, tape measures, builder’s hats and jackets, and squared paper like we saw Iggy use in the story. Children set to work creating their designs before using the continuous provision equipment in and around our construction shed to make their buildings or bridges. This links to both the ‘Playing and Exploring’ and ‘Active Learning’ characteristics of effective learning. They were learning to ‘Plan and think ahead about how they will explore or play with objects’, and they demonstrated they could ‘Keep on trying when things are difficult’ (Development Matters). It also encouraged children to discuss the story and characters as some children acted out being the teacher and students in Iggy’s class.