Enclosed spaces can foster friendship and heighten young children's concentration and involvement in their play, says Annette Rawstrone.

Think back to your childhood and the special places where you liked to play, chat to friends or simply be. It's likely that this space was a cosy area out of view from watchful adults - your own private haven.

Young children are often attracted to small areas where they can 'enclose' their play and gain a sense of control over their physical space, as opposed to being in a large, open room. The spaces can give a feeling of privacy and security and allow them to withdraw by themselves or with friends away from the gaze of their peers and adults. Children's levels of concentration and involvement in their play are also heightened in enclosed spaces or play areas defined by screens, mobile storage units, rugs and the like.

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